


Between The Pages Where I Found You

by Mangoslayer87



Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anne has trust issues, Anne is a famous author who uses a pseudonym, Anne/ASC puts him in the friendzone, Bash is fangirling over ASC and will do it even more over Shirbert, But don't worry they'll get there, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Gilbert Blythe has Heart Eyes, Gilbert is a hopeless romantic, Gilbert is falling deep, Gilbert owns a cozy bookstore, Gilbert's red jacket is here, Happy Ending, Love at First Sight, May contain clichés but what would romance be without them, Medical Student Gilbert Blythe, Meet-Cute, Moody is a chatterbox and he'll regret it, Multi, My First Fanfic, Not Beta Read, Pining, Romance is a thing in this, Ruby loves him anyway, Sebastian "Bash" Lacroix Ships Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Writer Anne Shirley, even worse than Ruby, mary is alive, tagging is a thing and I love it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:29:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 147,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27153868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangoslayer87/pseuds/Mangoslayer87
Summary: A woman with a beautiful shell and empty contents is not what he longs for. His body, mind, and soul yearn for more, for someone to bewitch him like Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy.Perhaps the well-read young man has read too many romantic novels in addition to his medical journals, but that's exactly what he wants, a woman who puts a spell on him, enchants him with the wholeness of her being.------------Together with his brother Sebastian, Gilbert Blythe owns the "Global and Bookish" bookstore in Toronto, which one day has the unique opportunity to host the reading by the famous author ASC.What if he finds the love of his life where he least expects it, between the pages of a book that has yet to be written!___________Chapter 10: The Alignment Of The Hearts= Anne and Ruby become friends. Gilbert and Anne struggle with their feelings and confuse each other but what's new? A veil is lifted from Anne's inner consciousness.
Relationships: Diana Barry/Fred Wright, Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Mary Lacroix/Sebastian ''Bash'' Lacroix, Ruby Gillis & Moody Spurgeon MacPherson
Comments: 102
Kudos: 129





	1. Prologue: Global and Bookish

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear readers! A lot of you long for an AU with a famous Anne so I figured I'd give it a try and write one. 
> 
> Anne is a famous author but nobody knows about it except her closest friends and family. But books have to be advertised and so she chooses the small, intimate bookstores to do so, hoping not to draw too much attention to her person. Of course, that doesn't quite work when she meets a young medical student with hazel eyes who also happens to be the co-owner of a bookstore. 
> 
> English is not my first language, but I hope it is good enough to be understood. So far I've mostly written for myself, but I thought I'd give it a try and here it is, my first Shirbert Fic or rather my first published work at all. I'm always open to constructive criticism, so please let me know what you think of my AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prologue to this story

* * *

In disbelief and not being able to understand it, Gilbert Blythe closed his laptop after reading the email that contained a message that he hadn't expected. It took him quite a while to process the message he had just received. 

**Global and Bookish** , the bookstore that he runs alongside his medical studies with his brother Sebastian, has been accepted for a reading with the bestselling author of one of the famous novel series of the last five years. 

The "Tragical Romance" series written by the author under the pseudonym ASC is one of the best-selling novels of recent years. ASC had just published the last part of their famous series with the name "Lost In Your Light" which was long-awaited by their fans and critics and climbed the thrones of all the bestseller lists as soon as it was published. The press and social media have reported in the last few days that ASC is currently on a Canadian book tour to introduce "Lost In Your Light" to their loyal fans that will lead them to Toronto the place where Global and Bookish is located. 

There isn't much the outside world knows about ASC.

Nobody knows the age or gender of the author and if fans or other business clients have the pleasure of getting to know them then with the obligation of a declaration of silence about anything that could indicate their identity. The author mostly remains anonymous and only rarely holds readings and autograph sessions, and if so with the premise that no photos or other information that could endanger their anonymity will be made public.

Gilbert doesn't know more about ASC than all the others. He often wondered why someone with this talent of writing, which makes you sympathize with the main protagonists, and suffer as if they were real, has the need to hide behind a pseudonym in anonymity.

_Maybe that's why ASC chose our little bookstore for their reading_ , he thought, sitting on his bed, still unable to grasp the reality that he possibly will meet the author of one of his favorite book series. _Maybe it's the fact that Global and Bookish is an intimate place where no one has to hide and just be who they are._

Global and Bookish is a small bookstore in downtown Toronto located on Montgomery Avenue, a well-known place for its coziness and warm atmosphere, which Mary Lacroix brought to the small bookstore with her talent for furnishing. The red brick house where the small bookstore is located invites its customers to linger and gives them the feeling of wanting to come back, offering a never-ending feeling of homecoming. Reading corners made of vintage sofas and armchairs, decorated with fluffy cushions in which one would like to sink in, force the customers to forget the time while reading the books they bought there. 

The large forest green painted windows let in enough light during the day to guarantee perfect reading pleasure for all the book lovers who like to visit the cute little bookstore. The green windows were a criterion for the purchase of the building above which the living space of the Blythe/Lacroix family is spread over two floors.

The green windows reminded Gilbert of his childhood in Avonlea, the small town where he lived until he was 13, and spent the summer days playing with his friend Jerry Baynard in the meadows of Green Gables. The times were good in Avonlea, but then his father fell ill and he had to say goodbye to the small town on Prince Edward Island that has held a special place in his heart ever since. 

After the death of his father seven years ago Gilbert did a one-year internship with the Canadian Red Cross. He traveled the world on a steamship, the S.S Primrose which traveled to crisis areas across the world to provide help for people in need. That's where he met Bash, a Trinidadian hardworking man with one of the biggest hearts he had ever seen. Bash fell in love with Mary, who was working as a nurse for the Canadian Red Cross at the time. After a while, it became clear to them that they wanted more out of life and they settled down with Gilbert in Toronto, where they have lived for six years and where they have fulfilled a long-cherished dream with their little bookstore. 

The cozy bookstore is a special place for book lovers, but Gilbert Blythe never expected it to be special enough to be visited by a world-famous author. Accordingly, the bookstore owner and future doctor was very surprised that his small bookshop was picked to hold a reading followed by an autograph session by ASC. 

Eager and full of adrenaline, he grabbed his laptop, holding it tightly in his hands as he ran down the stairs of the Blythe/Lacroix household to tell his brother the exciting news. 

"Bash, you won't believe it," he declared almost hysterically when he came into the living room, where Bash was reading the newspaper as he was lying on the sofa. Bash's wife Mary and their daughter Delphine were invited to a birthday party of one of Delphine's kindergarten friends that evening, which gave him the unique opportunity to read the Toronto Star in peace.

Annoyed and rolling his eyes, Bash straightened up, folding up the newspaper, which he threw a little too aggressively on the living room table. "Blythe!" he directed his words to the young man, who looked at him with his still incredulous hazel eyes. "You know exactly how seldom I have time to read my beloved newspaper and by that, I mean reading it in peace," Sebastian huffed in annoyance. 

"What in God's name is so important that you have to disturb me? Have you finally found a woman who is ready to go on a date with you?"

His question was accompanied by a wink and a big grin formed on Bash's lips, enjoying teasing his brother about his lack of love life. His chuckle echoed through the room as Gilbert's expression switched from excitement to annoyance. 

Yes, Gilbert is single but does his brother have to keep rubbing it in his face? It's not that there is a lack of interest from other women. So far he just hasn't found the one who attracts him more than just externally. He's still waiting for the one moment when he meets the person who flips the switch in his heart, who renders him speechless and takes away his ability to breathe. 

A woman with a beautiful shell and empty contents is not what he longs for. His body, mind, and soul yearn for more, for someone to bewitch him like Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Darcy.

Perhaps the well-read young man has read too many romantic novels in addition to his medical journals, but that's exactly what he wants, a woman who puts a spell on him, enchants him with the wholeness of her being.

This is also what he said to his best friend Moody Spurgeon who laughed at him and suggested that Gilbert use Tinder. Finding love with a swipe to the right may be a nice idea for one or the other, but Gilbert declined the suggestion of his best friend, longing for something more tangible and real than a swipe with his index finger to the right.

It was his turn to roll his eyes in annoyance, but he knows the feeling to be teased by his brother. This is the dynamic between the two of them, teasing each other as a sign of brotherly love. 

"Even if I had a date, I wouldn't tell you about it."

He replied threw himself on the sofa next to Bash, opening his laptop to pass the surprising message on to his brother.

"Why not?" Bash wanted to know, watching Gilbert enter the password into his laptop that he knew was uncle.gilby97.

"Because…" Gilbert turned to his brother, who was waiting more for Gilbert's answer than what he wanted to show him. "You would tease the hell out of me if I had a real date and before you start: Yes, I know that I am young and should socialize more, but that's not my thing. I like my family and my circle of friends and when the right person comes along someday, whenever that is I'll know and maybe then you'll be lucky enough that I introduce her to you" 

A smirk danced around Gilbert's lips as he returned his attention to his laptop, opening the email folder to silently reread the email that had left him so surprised.

A sound from the mixture of a loud laugh and a grunt, which clearly belonged to Bash, sounded through the living room that was bathed in a warm light that evening. He clapped Gilbert on the shoulder with a specific thought in mind. _Blythe ever the romantic,_ he thought, snorting amused by the way Gilbert shared his thoughts.

"How are you so sure you will know when you find the right one?" Bash added, curious about the inner feelings of the hazel-eyed young man next to him. 

Gilbert didn't hear Bash, rereading the last words of the significant email, with his thoughts on the riddle known to him only under the pseudonym ASC. Another tap on his shoulder brought him back out of his bubble. His brother's Trinidadian accent echoed in his ears as he repeated the question he had asked before, noticing that Gilbert's thoughts were elsewhere.

Sometimes Gilbert wonders what makes Bash so interested in his love life. _Does he seem lonely or worse, desperate?_ He took a deep breath, letting the air escape in a loud sigh.

"Maybe I'm a romantic, but I rather believe that I have the best example in front of my eyes with you and Mary. You knew the second you laid your eyes on Mary that she was the woman you would marry and only God knows how you managed to convince her of that, but you did it. You knew, and when I find the one, I'll know too"

There were many possible answers that Bash had expected at that moment, but certainly not this one. But it made sense because if he could find the love of his life in the blink of an eye, why not his brother as well. 

No longer wanting to torture his brother, he tried to put the subject down. After all, there will surely be an opportunity to bring it up again on another day and so Sebastian grabbed Gilbert's laptop and placed it on his lap.

Grinning he addressed his words to Gilbert. "Well, Blythe now tell me what makes you as skittish as a bride?"

Bash and his trained eye were right. Gilbert behaved like a skittish bride, nervously clacking his feet against the freshly waxed linoleum floor.

"Read it yourself," was Gilbert's short reply, pointing to the glowing screen of his laptop on Bash's lap. Sebastian did as told and started reading the email that was addressed to the owners of Global and Bookish.

_Dear owners of Global and Bookish,_

_looking for a suitable place to read the new book by the author ASC, who is under contract with my Management Agency and who recently published the third and final part of the Tragical Romance series, I came across your bookstore. ASC would be delighted to give a reading in your lovely store which caught their eye immediately when I showed them your website. We shortlisted many bookstores in Toronto for the reading followed by an autograph session, but in the end, we decided on Global and Bookish. If you would like to take the opportunity to have an ASC reading in your lovely store, please contact me by the end of the week. Just keep in mind that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely, Cole Mackenzie (Management of ASC)_

  
  


Shocked and equally surprised with his mouth hanging wide open, Bash closed the laptop and handed it back to Gilbert. "Is that true? ASC wants to read in our bookstore?" Bash had to pinch himself unable to believe the news.

"Oh my god, I have to call Mary right away. You know how much she loves ASC's books."

Blinking repeatedly and shaking his head in disbelief, he turned to Gilbert, whose left eyebrow was raised, slightly confused by Bash, who at the moment looked more like a fangirl than a serious businessman facing an important decision. 

If Gilbert had been honest with himself, he could have admitted that his reaction was similar to Bash's, but the older of the two doesn't have to know everything and with that, he let his mouth shut. 

His gaze wandered to the clock on the mantelpiece. It was now 10 p.m. and Gilbert had yet to finish an essay for his biology class that was due the next day. "So do we agree to the management? ASC will read at Global and Bookish?" he directed his question, pushing a little for an answer to it before his thoughts could turn to his biology essay. 

Both knew at this point that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Sometimes you are lucky that something falls into your hands that you have to accept, knowing that otherwise it will never come back and so Bash only had one answer to his brother's question. 

"Yes! Write to the management and tell them we'd love to see ASC read at Global and Bookish" 

Bash's gaze turned thoughtful when he saw the corners of Gilbert's mouth lift into a smile. He saw a twinkle in the depths of his brothers hazel orbs that gave him a feeling that he couldn't describe at that moment.

"I think ASC will change our lives and possibly offer opportunities that we didn't know we had."

He grabbed the newspaper that he took to the bathroom, probably the only place in the house where a man can still have his peace.

"That remains to be seen," Gilbert whispered, taking his laptop with which he made his way back to his room. Once in his room, he let himself fall into the soft mattress of his bed, wondering how best to phrase the answer to Cole Mackenzie. 

For one more time that evening, he opened his laptop, the keyboard of which was caressed by his fingertips, typing out the words that would change more than the life of the Blythe/Lacroix household. Nobody had a clue about this at the time, because all that mattered at that moment were the black letters, typed out by the trembling hands of Gilbert Blythe. 

_Dear Mr. Mackenzie,_

_thank you very much for your message and your interest in our bookstore as the venue for the next reading by the talented ASC. My brother and business partner Sebastian Lacroix and I would be delighted to hear ASC, whose works we greatly admire, read at Global and Bookish. I will be happy to leave you my phone number to discuss the further process. We would appreciate it to hear from you soon. Please tell ASC our thanks for choosing us for their reading._

_With best regards, Gilbert Blythe (Co-owner of Global and Bookish)_

Tired and his biology essay long forgotten, not only did Gilbert Blythe's laptop close but his eyes too. He drifted into a deep slumber dreaming of the pages of a book full of opportunities that have yet to be written.

  
  



	2. The Whisper In The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More insight into Gilbert's life and the Meet Cute!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi dear readers. Here is the first proper chapter after the prologue. We learn a little more about Gilbert's life so far and he gets to know someone we all know ;) The chapter is almost 10k words long. Please let me know if it's too long for you. I'm always open to constructive criticism, so please let me know what you think of my AU. I hope you enjoy it! Have fun and greetings from Germany

Daylight fell through the green lacquered window on the back of the red brick stone building on Montgomery Avenue where Gilbert Blythe lay soundly asleep in his single wooden bed. Outside, the brightly colored autumn leaves danced to the tune of the birds, who sat twittering in the tree crowns and watched as the red, yellow, and orange-colored leafage said goodbye to each other, accompanying the wind that blew through the almost bare branches, which lost more and more of their colorful foliage as autumn progressed. 

Toronto was already back in the hustle and bustle of everyday life that morning. On the streets of the city, it was hectic and restless, pulsating and ecstatic, just as one imagines the going-ons in a city as big as Toronto. A gray veil of clouds hung in the upper atmosphere above the Canadian metropolis, indicating that rain was to be expected that day as people made their way to their workplaces while students were in a rush to get to their classes on time.

In the red brick house on Montgomery Avenue, no one could hear what was happening on the packed streets of the cosmopolitan city. It was rather quiet in the Blythe / Lacroix homestead. The soft tapping of Delphine's feet was the only hearable noise in the house. 

The five-year-old girl, dressed in a pastel yellow pajama was a girl on a mission. Trying to be quiet she wandered through the hallway in search of her favorite uncle who in the meantime was rolling from one side to the other in his bed, not yet awake but also no longer in deep sleep. Delphine's favorite teddy bear, won by the doctor-to-be at the last summer fair, was tightly tucked under her arm as she tiptoed in the direction of his room. She quietly opened the door, creeping into the space where Gilbert was slumbering. Chocolate brown button eyes eyed the bedroom, watching him lying on his stomach, his head buried in the soft pillow of his bed. The sound of his rhythmical snoring vibrated across the room, causing a sweet giggle to escape from her lips as Dellie climbed into the wooden bed of her favorite uncle. 

The first thing Gilbert noticed that morning when he woke up from his sleep was a heaviness on his back that hindered him from turning. The second thing that seemed unusual to him was the feeling of small hands running through the thickness of his dark, shaggy locks. 

"Uncle Gilby, do you know that you snore in your sleep? Dellie asked, giggling. "Mommy wanted me to wake you up. She said something else but I don't remember what exactly it was."

Her angelic voice rang through his ears when she pulled a strand of his dark hair. 

"Ouch, princess, that hurts, and for the record, I do not snore." Gilbert said, using his forefinger to get rid of the sleep that still lingered in his eyes which turned out to be a little difficult with Dellie's weight on him.

If someone asked Gilbert Blythe what his favorite melody is, the most likely answer would be that it is his niece's voice. There is no more heavenly music for him than the voice of the little girl that brought so much joy into his life. Dellie is like a warm ray of the sun and most likely by far the best thing that could have happened to him. Her birth brought light back to his life, disguised as the first sunny day after a long period of rain, spending warmth where warmth was sought. The time after his father's death was anything but easy for Gilbert, the pain and grief lay like a dark shadow over him for a long time, following him wherever he went. He was alone after his father's death, the only one left of the Blythe family.

Gilbert often thought of returning to Avonlea, the small town on Prince Edward Island, where he had such a happy childhood. The Cuthbert's would have given him a roof over his head at Green Gables, he was certain of that, but he decided against it. Avonlea would have opened too many old wounds, and he did not want to burden the Cuthbert's with his grief. The only thing that was almost able to alleviate his pain after the death of his father was the world of books, into which he took refuge, looking for something that does not leave him. Someday the day came when he met Bash, a silver lining on the horizon, who brought Mary into his life and both became his family, who at some point expanded the Blythe / Lacroix family with the little sunshine that was currently sitting on his back. 

"Yes, you do snore! But not as bad as daddy. He sounds like a grizzly bear when he's sleeping."

Her childlike laughter reverberated in the room once she imitated her father's snoring noises which sounded rather cute coming out of her nose, much to the amusement of her uncle. 

"I can't argue with that." Gilbert snorted, chuckling with a for Delphine not visible smile on his face that bore all the love he has for her. He knows Bash's sleep behavior well enough. A year in a shared cabin on the S.S. Primrose with Bash has brought him a lot of knowledge about the older man.

"But now tell me, did you sleep well, princess?"

Delphine hummed in response, twisting one of his curls around her pinky finger while she was still sitting on his back. "I always sleep well with Wisteria by my side" 

Right, Delphine Lacroix named her teddy bear after one of the characters from ASC's Tragical romance series. Lovers of the book series know that the books aren't exactly known as children's literature. Nevertheless, they are often used by Mary Lacroix as a book reading before going to sleep. 

One evening, Delphine, haunted by nightmares about Johnny Walters pulling her braids in kindergarten and calling her brownie, ran into her parents' room where her mommy was reading the first book of the series written by the author known as ASC. Dellie fell in love with the characters of the book that evening when her mom read some chapters out loud to her, trying to lull her daughter to sleep. Wrapped in Mary's warm embrace, the girl followed the story of the courageous lawyer Cordelia, who opposes all hindrances, courageously and generously fighting for all the people who have been wronged. Cordelia's love interest in the books is the mysterious Wisteria who she meets in the New York subway when he and she want to offer an old woman their respective seats at the same time. 

The description of Wisteria in the books reminded the girl of someone familiar, a good-hearted young man who is dark, tall, and handsome. "Sounds like Uncle Gilby," she concluded that evening, to the amusement of her mother, who found her own husband much more in the characterization of the book character.

Remembering who Dellie named her teddy bear after, Gilbert tried hard not to laugh. "I'd rather have someone like Cordelia by my side."

A little surprised by his utterance, he covered his mouth with his right hand. "Did I say that out loud?" he asked himself after accidentally articulating his thoughts so that Dellie could hear them. Lucky for him, the thoughts he shared with Dellie were those that the five-year-old girl couldn't grasp, not yet able to understand the meaning behind them. 

Of course, only someone like Gilbert Blythe develops a crush on a fictional character. Deep inside, he knows best himself how silly his infatuation is, but there aren't any rules that say that he can't lose his heart to an illusion until one day it gets lost to someone real, right? 

It may also be the feeling of anxiety and the fear of losing his heart to someone existent, someone who is visible, touchable in every possible way that causes him to seek comfort in the safety of a book character. Possibly in reality he is only protecting the quintessence of his being, having already experienced enough pain in his young life to know that this way he will be spared further agony.

The characterization of Cordelia is very close to the ideal of the woman of his dreams. It's not the visual description of Cordelia's beauty that captivates him so much. On the contrary, if there's one thing about Cordelia's portrayal that arouses his least interest, it is the description of how she looks. The presentment of her appearance is a pretty one, a tall young woman with raven black hair, caramel brown eyes, and an hourglass body shape. But in his point of view, it doesn't quite fit her character. Instead, he was drawn to her passionate personality while reading the books. Cordelia is not only extremely intellectual and successful in her calling as a lawyer, she is also fiery, really kind-hearted, and spirited. A woman with whom someone has their hands full, but who seems to never promise boredom. 

A woman with such attributes has to be visually different from everyone else. At least that's what he thinks. Whenever he uses his imagination, Cordelia's hair is never raven black and her eyes are never brown. Whilst he got lost in his fantasies Gilbert sees bright colors, nuances of golden tones and copper shades, colors that are full of warmth, glowing like the light of the moon or the last phase of an evening when the sun is setting and only the afterglow remains. 

He sees eyes with depth in the colors of nature, green like the haunted woods in Avonlea, which he wandered through when he was a boy, or ocean blue colors like the waters he traveled, as he gazed into the vastness of the deep blue sea whenever it called his name.

Judging by the stories, Cordelia is a bride of adventure written in black letters on egg white paper. Sadly, and definitely to Gilbert's chagrin, she is not real, born from the inspiration of an author who is as intangible as the main protagonist of their books. Now and then he wonders whether it is even possible for such a person to exist, and if so, what is the probability of ever meeting one.

Delphine, who had lost the desire to continue fiddling with her uncle's curls, finally decided to allow him to roll over on his back. "I love Cordelia. When I grow up I want to be either like her or like you, you know, someone who helps other people." She shared her dreams with Gilbert, who was obviously glad not to have to lie on his stomach anymore whilst he was in the process of stretching his arms up to loosen up his muscles. 

"That is very ambitious of you, Dellie. I am sure that you can achieve anything in life when you believe in yourself and follow your dreams. Like Cordelia said in the books, Dreamers change the world." 

The mention of Cordelia made his mind wander to ASC and the email from Cole Mackenzie the evening before. The memory of last night came back to him when he picked up his duvet to look for the laptop, and his phone he had last used in his bed. In the meantime Dellie had made herself comfortable on the bedside rug, hugging her teddy bear tightly as she watched her uncle searching for his devices. 

At the hunt for his missing things, he searched his old wooden bed, disarranging his white bed linen and his anthracite-colored bed covers. He found his laptop wedged between the wooden frame of his bed and the navy blue painted wall of his room on which his bed is positioned. There was no sign of his phone, however, and that slowly led to annoying Gilbert. How is Cole Mackenzie supposed to reach him when he doesn't have his phone on hand?

Obviously desperate, he lost his temper. "Fuck" he muttered under his breath while Dellie's eyes widened, shocked by her uncle's swearing. 

"Gilbert Blythe, there is no cussing in this household, and certainly not in the presence of a child!" Mary scolded him, turning her gaze to her daughter. "Dellie go and brush your teeth. I need to talk to your uncle." She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. Her warm brown eyes held a stern look, disappointed by Gilbert that he disregarded the house rules. 

Dellie did the same as her mother did, crossing her arms and stubbornly stomping on the linoleum floor as she made her way to her room. "Every time it gets interesting I have to go," she whispered to herself as she passed her mother, leaving the room where Gilbert awaited Mary's wrath. But her anger didn't come. She swallowed her anger, knowing that there must be a valid reason for his behavior.

Mary made 3 very specific rules for Gilbert. 

  1. Don't cuss in the presence of Dellie
  2. Don't drink alcohol when you know that you can't hold it in
  3. Under no circumstances bring women with you, in who you see no potential for a long-term relationship.



So far, he has always been able to comply with the last two of the rules. On the one hand, because he doesn't drink hard liqueurs, he is more of those who prefer a beer whenever he is at a party, and on the other hand, because the last rule can be erased if it were up to him. He doesn't care about insignificant one-night stands anyway, longing for something more permanent, something groundbreaking, someone who gives him more than just physical satisfaction. 

"Don't you have a lecture to attend? If I'm not mistaken, it started twenty minutes ago," Mary asked with still crossed arms, raising her eyebrows. She has a talent for organization, she knows all the family members' appointments, which is usually particularly appreciated by the two men in the house. At that moment, however, Gilbert would have wished he had been woken up by someone an hour ago.

"Shit, I overslept and my essay isn't finished either."

The expression on his face was hilarious when he fell out of bed in his haste, annoyed with himself that he hadn't set the alarm on his phone the night before, even though he didn't know where it was. 

Mary just shook her head, very familiar with the antics of the young man sitting on the floor rummaging through his laundry pile and grabbing the next best thing he could find. He dressed in a hurry, put a piece of chewing gum in his mouth as there was no more time to brush his teeth, and left the house with a loud bang, which could be heard in the rooms of Global and Bookish, where Bash was on the morning shift, wondering what put Gilbert in such a hastiness. 

* * *

The lecture given by Doctor Emily Oak was a disaster for Gilbert, a nightmare come true. At first, he was late, then he couldn't find a seat, since Doctor Oak's lectures are usually very well attended. So he only had the choice of following the lecture standing or sitting on the dirty, cold wooden floor of the lecture hall. He stood there for two hours until his legs sagged and pulled him to the ground. The rest of the lecture wasn't any better. It was torturous for him to follow the words of Dr. Oak, plagued by pain in his calves and pitying looks from his fellow students. And then there was his essay that wasn't finished. Gilbert Blythe the model student did not finish an essay. Dr. Oak was visibly surprised and a little worried when Gilbert announced that he hadn't made it and couldn't finish the essay on the latest developments in stem cell therapy. However, his puppy look won Dr. Oak over and so she decided to give him another chance to write a new essay on a new topic. But that couldn't lift his mood either. He was quite certain that this day couldn't get any better when the lecture ended. 

Dark, grey almost blackish clouds began to thicken in the celestial sphere as Gilbert and his friend and classmate Fred Wright left the MacLeod Auditorium, one of the Medical Science Buildings of the U of T at King's College Circle. 

Gilbert met Fred in his senior year of high school nearly five years ago. Fred had just moved from Montreal to Toronto, as his father had taken over the leadership of an IT company there, causing the Wright family to leave their hometown. Aside from the clumsy Moody Spurgeon, Gilbert had no other people at school who he could consider a real friend. Most of the boys were envious of him, owing to the fact that he caught the eyes of the prettiest girls of the school, even though the girls' interest was met with low approval from him. Not more than a handful of them managed to get him on a date, but most of them didn't even get past the first one. The majority of them were more interested in presenting their outer shell to wake the attentiveness of the most popular boys rather than focusing on their own self and their academic goals, a fact Gilbert lacked understanding. 

Only one girl was fortunate enough to become his girlfriend back then. Her name was Winifred Rose, a British exchange student from London. The tall, skinny girl with shiny royal blue eyes and her golden ringlets, always perfectly arranged into the most elegant hairdos was constantly considered one of the prettiest girls in their high school. Yet it wasn't her beauty that drew him to her. It was much more her intellect that struck him first, the way she articulated her thoughts in a manner he had never heard before. The daughter of an English diplomat strived for more in life and had ambitions at least as big as his own and that impressed him much. She was funny as well, with a dry sense of humor, and she was charming. Winifred had enough charm to win him over, much to the displeasure of the other girls in her grade. 

Gilbert had all his firsts with her, his first kiss, his first dance, and the first sex, but she wasn't his first love, because nothing she ever did reached the core of his existence. For years he has been waiting now to experience his first love, a real one, to meet a woman who teaches him the meaning of it, to have someone whose sole essence is enough for him. He's still hoping for something that feels like the love stories of the many books he has read in his life. 

However, he knows exactly that one usually has to wait the longest for the greatest things in life, on the other hand, he has the understanding that love is not measured by how long you wait, but by whether you know what you are waiting for. And if he has to wait a tad longer than usual for the best thing that has ever happened to him, so be it, in the end, he'll know it was all worth it. 

The relationship with Winifred had very little to do with love. Yes, he was fond of her and felt some type of affection for her but nothing that came substantially close to the feeling of love.

His first kiss at the winter formal of his junior year was a good one, yet he missed the spark that everyone was always talking about, the tingling deep down in the abdomen that human beings feel when they share their breath with the right person. 

The exchange of kisses, some long and sloppy, others chaste and soft, became a regular occurrence in their relationship even though he never felt a firework. They often shared their breaths but not one kiss left him ever breathless. 

They had their first sex after Moody Spurgeon's 17th birthday party, drunk in the guest bathroom of Moody's childhood home. The act lasted less than ten minutes. An in and out game that both of them hardly remembered after it happened. It got better with more practice, but it never felt like heaven when they were chasing for a climax that failed to appear. 

For the purpose of diving into the depths of love, one soul has to love another, and Gilbert's never did, at least not in a romantic way. But he yearns for the feeling of it, to love and be loved by someone. 

Every part in him is on the restless search for a woman who sees him with more than the intense gaze of her eyes. A loving soul, who'll offer him her all, her holism, the combination of her mind, body, and soul. He is looking for something unknown, something that not only touches the outer layer of his skin, a miracle that is inclined to immerse into his inner being to discover every facet that defines his whole. 

Winifred was always easy to be with, but at some point, Gilbert realized that the ease with her fell short of profundity. After 8 months full of first times that lacked meaning, their relationship ended, remaining friends, who knew that they both deserve better, a partner whose affection is unwavering. 

Shortly after his break up, at the beginning of his senior year, Gilbert met Fred. A rather inconspicuous boy, who was just as academically driven as Gilbert, but more reserved and shy. In Fred, he found a friend who is extremely good at listening to others. Gilbert confided in Fred, as the first person outside of his family, how immense and excruciating he suffered from the pain that the death of his father had left in his soul. They bonded, becoming friends who pushed each other to peak performance during their senior year at high school, not as rivals but as friends who support each other to this day.

* * *

In the further distance, both of them heard the rumblings of thunder slowly but loudly making its way into the center of the Canadian metropolis as autumn showed its unbecoming facet, turning the sky a darkish shade of grey. 

"Looks like something's coming our way," noted Fred whilst he stood outside the MacLeod Auditorium on St George Campus where Dr. Emily Oak had just finished her lecture on stem cell transplantation. 

Gilbert took a deep breath, seeing how the heaven above was getting darker by the second. It was a catastrophic day so far for him, a day on which it would be best not to get up in the first place. So he wasn't surprised that it didn't look like it would get better anytime soon. 

"I think you may be right, Mr. Wright but it fits my day so far." Gilbert voiced his thoughts, seeing his own breath hitting the freezing cold air. His statement came along with a laugh as he ventured to view anything with a sense of humor. After all, how bad can a day get? It was clear to him that the only thing that was able to save his day would be a call from Cole Mackenzie, but he had to get home first, where his phone, forgotten and ignored, was somewhere waiting for him. 

_Not very professional forgetting my phone._ He had to sigh but didn't say the words out loud, scolding himself in a way that would have made Marilla Cuthbert, the woman who was a mother figure to him during his childhood days in Avonlea, proud. 

A cold wind swept through the streets and alleys of the city, handing the colorful coated autumn foliage an invitation to dance. Leaves, tinted in the season's color were pirouetting, following the airy breeze. The breath of chilly air let Gilbert's dark brown locks fall against his forehead. First drops of rain watered his curly mane, sinking into the thickness of his hair structure, which he never gets styled the way he wants it to be. Too untamable to tame it. Liquid silver droplets slid slowly from the front of his head down to his strong jaw. Tickling him, they touched his chin until they were absorbed by the fibers of his red plaid jacket that he has owned since his teenage years.

The red plaid wool texture that was clinging to his chest to keep him warm has great personal value for him. It's not just a useful piece of clothing, instead, it's something to hold onto, a belonging full of memories that weren't just worn. In the red checkered fabric there are tears that were cried out of joy, but also out of sadness. It carries the feeling of his father's immeasurable love for him and the way he gave him all the love a child could wish for. It may be an old jacket that covered his torso, a piece from the 90s worn by his father John when he was as old as Gilbert is today but it's his favorite, a reminder of the time when there were just the two of them, a father and his son. It's the remembrance of a fatherly embrace, a symbol of warmth. 

There are always new holes in the pockets of the woolen coat, and a new seam is constantly loosening at the hems, but luckily these are all small things that Mary has always been able to mend because if he had his way, the jacket would still be worn in 20 years. Not by himself, but by his son who will hopefully be the resemblance of his mother, the love of his life, a woman who he has yet to find. 

The icy impact of the wind caused Gilbert to zip up his favorite coat of wool, seeking protection and warmth from the unwelcoming coldness of the autumnal season that settled into his bones whilst it penetrated his skin. The tip of his freezing nose found warmth as he buried it in the soft fabric of his coat, just as the rain grew stronger, as did the wind. 

There was a strange feeling in the gust of wind coming from the direction of Toronto's harbor. To Gilbert, it felt like the air had changed with the breeze, palpable in the atmosphere that surrounded him. It was as though as if he could hear a whisper in it, calling his name begging him to follow the wind's call. 

But maybe it was just the voice of his friend Fred that he heard who was right beside him. 

Gilbert shook his head, in an attempt to get a clear thought, and turned his attention back to the young man walking next to him who opened his mouth just then. "You know, Gilbert," Fred started. "Everyone has a bad day sometimes. On days like this, it's enough to just survive." He tried to cheer Gilbert up, giving his friend a friendly pat on his right shoulder blade. 

With quick steps, they made their way towards Queens Park. Students and tourists as well as inhabitants of the big city rushed through the park, wanting to get somewhere quickly where they could protect themselves from the intensifying rainstorm. Despite the grayness of the city, it was a sight rich in color. Umbrellas of all sorts of hues were prancing in the air, adding a little brightness to the day. 

The sound of Gilbert's chuckle rang through the branches of the trees in Queens Park. "Thanks for your sympathy, Socrates. I didn't even know how philosophical you are. Are you sure you want to continue studying medicine and not rather philosophy? Really, I can already see your books in the window of Global and Bookish. The Philosophy of Life written by Fred Wright. Sounds good, don't you think so?" The hazel-eyed young man humored teasingly, being a master in this discipline thanks to Bash. 

Hilarity filled Fred's ice-blue eyes while his round face tilted alternating from left to right as he shook his head. Familiar enough with his friend's demeanor he couldn't help but smile.

"Haha, very funny, Gil! Not everyone is a bookworm like you 'Mr. I own a bookstore and also study medicine." He laughed heartily, seemingly very entertained by his friend's antics. The mirthfulness in his words could not only be heard in his laughter, no, it was also visible in the way the corners of his mouth turned into a grin, comparable to a Cheshire cat having fun.

"You know very well that my wisdom comes from the sticky magnets on my fridge," Fred uttered in jest, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head as the heaven cried harder, bombarding them with its tears. He swung his right arm around Gilbert's neck, watching the latter look like a watered poodle as the rain poured down on them. The unprotected mop of Gilbert's hair became increasingly saturated with the liquid mass that was raining from the sky. His curls gained weight, getting heavier with every drop that fell on them. 

Gilbert ran his right hand through his shaggy mane, trying to get rid of some of the weight in his hair while his mouth curved into a mischievous smirk. 

"Yup and it doesn't surprise me, knowing how often you use your refrigerator during the day," he said, grinning, surveying his friend from head to toe. "You should think about calling it the fridge of wisdom." 

Gilbert nudged Fred in the rib and they both started laughing. Together the two set off, making their way to their houses. They talked about Dr. Emily Oaks' biology lecture and made plans for a men’s night with Moody, hoping that he could tear himself away from his girlfriend Ruby for one evening. Gilbert thought for a moment about telling Fred about the email he had received from Cole Mackenzie the night before, but decided against it, after all, no agreements had been made yet. So he stayed silent, not wanting to share the news with someone outside of Global and Bookish until the deal was sealed.

* * *

Gilbert Blythe and Fred Wright parted ways on Avenue Road. At this point the rain was falling unrestrained from gray clouds that floated in the dark vault of heaven, watering the Canadian metropolis.

Increasing gusts of wind carried a layer of cold that tried to settle in the epidermises of the individuals who were walking the rainy streets of Toronto. Gilbert could feel the crisp autumn coolness from head to toe that settled in every pore of his dermis. It was freezing this November afternoon, so cold that he embraced himself, enclosing his arms around his upper body as he was trying everything to find warmth against the harshness of this dreadful weather, even if it was just his own. 

Large puddles had formed on the sidewalk and red maple leaves drowned in them as the medical student headed in the direction of Davenport Road, where he wanted to meet Moody Spurgeon, who works there at 'Top Pot' a popular coffee shop that is particularly frequented by students. Knowing his friend well enough, he knew that Moody was currently on his shift, therefore Gilbert hoped that the theology student was willing to drive him home afterward.

Although the weather was more than bad that afternoon, the streets of the city were bustling with activity, typical for a city the size of Toronto. Gilbert's attention was focused on getting swiftly to 'Top Pot', his favorite place beside 'Global and Bookish' when a sudden impact in front of his feet stopped him in his tracks and startled him for a brief moment. 

Surprised, his greenish-brown hazel eyes sank to the grey footway where an object lay in front of his wet leather boots, which Mary had given him for his last birthday. He assumed that the windy waft must have carried it there as he observed the item with curiosity. What he saw was an unshut umbrella, in a dark greenish color, dotted with white dots, swaying left and right in front of his feet. He bent down, stretching his lengthy arm to pick up the rain-soaked umbrella from the damp soiled ground of the avenue. The tips of his finger almost touched the rainshade when a heavy gust of wind came up, blowing it one more time away. 

"Oh no, my umbrella! Please, can someone bring it to a halt?" The voice of a female called out in the closer distance, begging for help. 

Gilbert tilted his head, glancing over his shoulder to see if he could find the owner of the soft voice that verbalised the words that now reverberated in his ears. However, in the crowd on the overfull Avenue Road, Gilbert found it impossible to find out who owned the seemingly lost accessory. 

Not knowing what to do, he decided to follow the whisper of the wind, so he increased his pace, following the umbrella of the voice that called after it. He passed people, bumping into some of them who did not seem to consider ending the journey of the green item, which rumpled over the cement base of the pavement. 

Fortune was on his side when the wooden stock of the umbrella got wedged on a streetlamp and abruptly ended its flight, stopping it from sliding further. 

"Hallelujah!" He rejoiced, bending down to unhook the umbrella of the lamppost with cold trembling hands just before he heaved it up from the waterlogged walkway. A happy smile formed on his lips, seemingly glad to have found the umbrella, the owner of which was not yet in sight. 

"Finally! You're a stubborn little thing, huh?" He chuckled as he shook the rain off the umbrella, placing a kiss on one of its white dots on the green fabric before stepping under it, letting it prance in twisting circles over his head to the melody of the pounding rain the moment he started to whistle a joyful melody. The wooden stick of the rainshade with its green texture lay firmly in the grip of his right hand. When he ran his thumb over the curve of the handle, he noticed something unusual. There, in the midst of the handle made of wood, he found a deep notch which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a carving. 

The name **_AnnE_ ** alongside a small heart was beautifully carved into the wood, and as far as he could tell it was crafted in an extremely lovely way. It was obviously a carving that was not carved by machine but by hand. In the act of observing the handiwork, and the way the letters were chiseled into the wood, accentuating every edge and curve of the word, Gilbert came to the conclusion that the person who made the carving must have put a great deal of love into it. The name, Anne as Gilbert now knew, was carved in a calligraphic style, elegant looking with a lot of curving in the individual letters, a beautiful piece of handiwork. 

"Anne!" he said the name out loud, breathing it with gentleness into the crisp autumn air. The way the forename of the unknown female rolled over his tongue had a sense of rightness, almost as if it belonged between his teeth to be spoken by his lips. 

The aftertaste of the stranger's name lingered a while longer on his smooth lips. In a strange kind of way, he thought that he could get used to letting that name come off them more often, even though he didn't know why. Somehow, the name vocalised by the velvety timbre of his voice felt like a prayer to him, a simple name shrouded in a mystery which in some, if inexplicable, way kindled the emotion of hope in him. 

Gilbert raised his head to the heaven above, leaning casually with his back against the cold streetlamp where he had just found the umbrella. Crystal clear raindrops caressed his face while his fingertips did the same with the carving in the wooden handle of the green textured accessory, branding the one name into his skin, the aftertaste of which was still tastable on his tongue. 

"Anne!" He repeated the name, a word composed from four letters that sat unforgettable in the foreground of his mind whilst he wondered what kind of person must be behind this so entrancingly sounding forename. 

"What a beautiful name." The studious book store owner sighed but wore a warm smile on his face anyway. 

A laugh sounded in the near distance. 

"So far I have found my name to be rather plain," an unfamiliar woman uttered, along with a sound that resembled a giggle just as she emerged from the crowd on the sidewalk, standing in a short distance from the lamppost on which Gilbert leaned with his back turned to her direction.

For a moment everything stood still… time, his body, and the wheels in his head which weren't any longer rotating, unable to form a coherent thought. 

All the faces in the crowd vanished and the cold patter of rain on his skin could no longer be felt by him. Suddenly he was paralyzed and all he could sense was a flaring warmth in his stomach, sparked off by a voice that did something to him that he couldn't quite explain. He has never been so captivated by a voice as that of the woman, whom he could not yet see due to the fact that his back was turned to her. Her voice wasn't sexy by any means, yet attractive in a rather warm kinda way with a given tenderness in its melodic tone that piqued his attentiveness. 

He took a deep breath, sucking in air with his nostrils, exhaling it in slow motion with his mouth. Under his red plaid jacket, his chest heaved up and down in the time his heart began to race, advancing the pace with which it was beating. He whispered a countdown into the afternoon chill that no longer reached his bones and sighed deeply, not knowing what to expect if he turned around. 

"3…2...1..." Every numeral he whispered to himself was accompanied by a deep sigh before he revolved around to face the woman whose name stuck on his tongue, a sweet and creamy taste of golden honey, the flavor of which his dreams are made. 

The fragrance of sweet lavender with a touch of fresh rain elicited a tingle in his nostrils as his hazel orbs regarded the probably most gorgeous living soul he'd ever laid his eyes on. In front of him, in the rain-plagued grayness of the season, stood a rainbow in the brightest colors one can only imagine and all he could do was stare. She wasn't far from him, maybe five or six strides away, so he had a good view of the beauty in front of his eyes. 

Long, rain-soaked hair the color of fire, shimmering a brilliant shade of red, fell from slender shoulders to the point where slightly curved hips merged into her pelvis. Behind the cornea of her orbs, Gilbert found undiscovered land, an ocean in a grey bluish hue, the vastness of which he wanted to discern, to get lost in the depths, drowning like a tidal wave. 

The tears that heaven cried fell from long eyelashes, gliding over the smooth surface of her skin. Her porcelain complexion was reminiscent of the moon and the way it glows in the darkness of the night, illuminating the twinkle in stunned hazel eyes. Her outer shell was covered in a layer of freckles that were spread all over a beautiful slim face, causing Gilbert to wonder how far they possibly would reach and how long it would technically take to count all of each and every one of them. 

The orange freckles dotted her complexion, like golden stars a nightly heaven and all he could do was to admire them whilst he was stargazing, wishing to find a shooting star that was willing to fulfill all he hungers for. All the last years of fasting were instantly forgotten and his dry mouth watered as his gaze fell on soft pink lips. And all, really all he wanted to know right now was whether her lips tasted just like her name, after the sweetness of honey, still resting on his tongue, or maybe more like the saccharinity and spice of sugar and cinnamon. 

She was breathtaking, a sight to behold as he surveyed her with a spark in his eyes that felt different, so incredibly new and suddenly, for the first time, he had the sense of being found by something or someone who made him forget every word he had ever learned. 

The heel of her ankle boots clicked against the gray cement ground as she walked the few steps towards him, approaching the young man with the wet dark curly mop on his head, who sought shelter under the green umbrella. 

"Earth to whoever you are." She waved her hand in front of his face, seemingly not knowing how to otherwise get him out of his apparent state. After all, Gilbert made the impression that his mind was everywhere except on the avenue in downtown Toronto, where the rain fell down on them. 

But he was there… with her, even more than he was anywhere else. His heart was there, beating loudly in his heaving chest, as was his soul, which sensed at its core the sentiment of having found something, something that all of him felt more deeply than anything before. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt your daydream but may I have my umbrella back? It is quite dreadful to walk through this weather without it, although I have to say that there is no rapturous melody than the sound of pouring rain, especially when it patters against a windowpane. It's such a relaxing sound. Don't you think so?" she said, rambling with a dreamy sigh at the end of her last sentence, wearing the prettiest smile on her face that another person has ever given him. Her arms were wrapped around her own torso, protecting herself from the cold while she was rubbing her biceps with her hands in search of warmth. She was wearing an emerald-green wool coat with brown wooden buttons. Her slender legs were clad in black leather pants, wet sticking to her well-trained calves and he couldn't help but stare. 

Gilbert is a well-read young man, something that should come as no surprise considering he co-owns a bookstore. The world of books is something he likes to take refuge in, a place where he can forget the problems of everyday life. The moment he laid his eyes on the woman before him he felt like Wisteria from ASC's Tragical romance series, meeting Cordelia for the first time, but not the Cordelia from the books. It was Cordelia, the heroine from his own imagination, the one with bright hair and light shiny eyes, apart from the fact that her name was Anne and not Cordelia, a fantasy that he doesn't believe exists in the real world, which shifted something inside him because for the first time he preferred reality to fiction.

Gilbert scratched the back of his neck, a habit that comes with it like a second nature whenever he's nervous. "Uh, I'm sorry." He shook his head in an attempt to get out of his paralysis. "You must be Anne with an E."

She approached him with eager steps as his gaze was fixed on her, the rainbow on the horizon.

"In the Flesh." She voiced as her giggle echoed through his ear canals, a sound he could get used to. "Thank you so much for emphasizing the E. It's really important to me that my name is spelled with an E. Just think about it without the E, it would be such a boring name." She smiled, stepping nearer to him until she suddenly stood right in front of him, almost a hair's breadth away from his constitution. 

Automatically, controlled as if by magic, Gilbert raised the umbrella over her head so that both could find shelter from the downpour of the rain under it. At last, he was able to admire her up close, and at that very second, he wanted to do nothing more than count the stars on the surface of her skin and drown in the depths of blue crystal clear eyes, that were gazing intensely into his hazel ones. 

"I can't thank you enough. The umbrella means a great deal to me and I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost it forever. " Anne, how he now knew, thanked him genuinely with a hearable warmth in her soft voice. 

Gilbert found her a little odd, someone who obviously likes to talk and is a friend of many words. Still, he liked it, very much. In fact, he liked it so much that he had to chuckle, in some way intrigued by the woman whose breath he could see in the cold air, almost caressing his cheeks with its touch. "Yes, I can tell. I saw the carving in the handle which, by the way, is very beautiful." 

He thought, _Just like you_.

But under no circumstances did he speak that thought out loud, not brave enough to tell her.

"My father made the carving. He's such a lovely human, my favorite person in fact, and pretty talented at that sort of thing. He put so much love into it, that's why it is so special to me." Her eyes held an expression of gratitude, not only for Gilbert and the fact that he could bring the meaningful thing back to her but also for something Gilbert couldn't decipher as he stood there under an umbrella with a dryad, a creature who seemed to be out of this world. 

She stretched out her right hand, her fingernails lacquered in a burgundy red, and reached for the handle of the umbrella, which was still firmly in the grip of Gilbert's strong hand. Her gaze, however, was not focused on the position of her hands, but on hazel eyes in which she saw a spark that was ignited by her, even though she didn't know that. 

The pores of his skin opened, forming goosebumps that spread over the entirety of his body as her delicate fingers brushed his hand. He almost jumped, startled by the sudden sensation that ran through his veins. The touch lasted only a few seconds, but he found poetry in it, a feeling he usually only read in books about. Gilbert's fingertips slowly separated from the wooden handle that went into Anne's gentle hands. However, he stayed rooted in his place, standing in the rain with her, the patterning of which vibrated on the textured layer of the umbrella, drowning out the beating of his heart. 

There was a smile on her expression that looked as if it was not removable. Her blue irises were centered on his greenish-brown globes, seemingly searching for something that neither of them knew what it was. 

The way she was transfixed by the sight of him gave the impression as if he captivated her at least as much as she captivated him. Anne breathed gently into the air, this time close enough in his orbit that her breath touched his cheek, causing his breath to hitch. "Have I thanked you already for bringing it back to me?" she asked softly as she tapped her nose against the wooden stick of the handle as an indication of what she meant by that, one hand clutched around the wooden grip, her other buried in the warm pocket of her wool coat. 

There was no denying that Gilbert was staring at her, a magnetic field in his eyes drawn by the gravity in hers. Everything about her was so captivating that he had no choice but to fix his eyes on her. There was something spellbinding about this woman in front of him, a certain kind of feeling, creeping its way into his heart. It was an intimidating feeling because it was new, unfamiliar, and something that he was experiencing for the first time.

He flashed her his most winning smile. "You did and you're welcome but I have to admit that luck was on my side. If it hadn't got hooked on the streetlamp here, I'd probably still be chasing it." He informed her, pointing with his thumb to the lamppost beside them. 

Anne eyed his face, making out every inch it contained, and as she saw his smile and the dimple that formed with it, the smile on her face grew too. "Would you really have done that? I mean, chasing my umbrella until you get it?" she enquired, not quite able to believe him. 

"Of course I would. I'm quite sure that some things are worth chasing." There was a lot more meaning in Gilbert's words than he would have wanted to admit as his eyes surveyed her from head to toe. "If I hadn't chased your umbrella we probably would never have met." 

A Hollywood film writer couldn't have written the scene in a better way. Two people, who had never seen each other before, forgot the fall of the pouring rain around them, preferring to drown in the other's gaze, forgetting the time while looking into their eyes that were overflowing with something that neither of them could describe. Gilbert was aware that he was gazing at her in a way that he had never done before as if she were a work of art, a piece of poetry worth reading, because deep down he was certain that he not solely discovered beauty but also depth. A depth that he wanted to fathom to the deepest point imaginable. As intense as his gaze was, Anne's was nothing short of it, scrutinizing him in the same way as he had a few minutes earlier. She frowned, probably wondering why this, what she found to be a rather attractive young man, pierced her with his gaze. 

"Mmm. I think you got a point." She hummed, thinking about when she's ever met someone as selfless as the young man right before her. After all, not every person rushes through the pouring rain with almost no protection to bring an umbrella to a stop. Suddenly her eyes widened, obviously having come to a realization. "Oh, where are my manners. I'm talking your ears off without even asking for your name."

The intensity of the wind flattened a bit but did not prevent the autumn leaves from floating through the air, pirouetting in the breeze while following the melody of the whisper in the wind. Gilbert, however, did not hear the ghostly whisper, nor the splashing rain or the hustle and bustle of the streets of Toronto. All his state of mind could focus on was Anne's silky voice. 

"No, it's okay, really. If I may say so, I like to hear you speak. You have a beautiful voice." He complimented her, a boyish smile on his face as he waited for her reaction. It may have been the cool breeze of the wind that made her cheeks flush but whatever led up to it, Gilbert attributed it to himself, wishing to make her blush in other ways, even if the thoughts were currently out of place. He wondered how her sweet lavender scent would smell on his pillow in the morning after he woke up next to her, red hair tickling his shoulders while she lies in his strong arms.

The melody of her soft voice pulled him out of his thought bubble, which was more than just a silly daydream. "Are you flirting with me?" she asked teasingly, her face colored in a tint of red whilst the heaven above them stopped its tearful cries. 

The fateful rain shower ended, the gray cloud fields in the sky said goodbye, disappearing in the firmament as the wind, still very cold, still blew through the branches in a light breeze. Anne took a few steps back, reducing the proximity between her and Gilbert who instantly missed the touch of her breath against his jawline when she took the first step back. 

Gilbert sighed audibly, feeling a certain disappointment as Anne closed the umbrella, keeping a little distance, even though she never took her eyes off him. "It's Gil, my friends call me Gil and I think it depends on whether you want me to flirt with you?" 

Gilbert was never the type to flirt openly with girls, and when he did, it was more in a teasing manner. He has always caught the attention of most girls, which is why he has never really had to make an effort to arouse the interest of someone who piqued his attention. This time it was different. He was aware that Anne was different, all for the simple reason that she sparked feelings in him that had never been sparked by anyone else. 

"Gil!" She tasted his name on her tongue and Gilbert came to the conclusion that his name had never sounded as good as spoken by the kissable, gentle lips from which his name escaped. "Does that mean we're friends now?" she asked, curiously awaiting his answer.

Gilbert's expression fell. "Friends" The dreadful word that he would have loved to avoid in this case wasn't exactly the word he wanted to hear. He wished he could go back in time, either to rephrase his previous statement or to delete the word "Friends" from Anne's vocabulary. Either way, it was not possible and so he surrendered to his fate. "Sure, I see a lot of potentials. Maybe we're meant to be friends."

Anne laughed, batting her long black eyelashes. She suddenly turned her gaze away from Gilbert, who felt incomplete without her gaze at him, as if she were a piece of the puzzle that might fill the cracks in his soul.

"It's a shame we will never find out if that's true." Her declaration came along with a sigh and a sad smile as if she wasn't ready to part ways with him. 

Gilbert shook his head, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his red plaid wool coat. He tilted from left to right, obviously perplexed because he did not understand what Anne was indicating with her words. "What do you mean by that?" He searched for an answer not yet ready to say goodbye to the beautiful woman who captured him with not only her smile but also with her eyes and all she offered to share with him. 

A dark blue flash passed the two of them during their conversation on the damp cement path on which hundreds of leaves had gathered. It was one of the famous greyhound busses that transported tourists and residents of the city from A to B. coming to a halt at the bus station across the street. 

Anne sighed deeply. "That's my bus over there. I'm sorry, Gil, but I have to go. It was really nice to meet you and who knows, maybe we'll meet again and if not, I wish you a happy life. I have a feeling that you're the kind of guy who deserves to be happy." The glow in her eyes was lost. It was almost as if she had felt the same, a connection that went deeper, and neither of them wanted to lose. But she had to go, but not without saying goodbye to him and so she did the first thing that came to her mind. 

She kissed him, but not on his lips. She graced his strong jawline with a sweet, gentle kiss, a touch so feather-light that nothing could prevent him from falling deep, even though it felt like flying. 

"Goodbye, Gil," she whispered, waving a last goodbye. 

Gilbert knew that she had to go and that's why he pretended he didn't care, otherwise he would have to explain to her that he might want more because that was what he truly wanted...More, he wanted so much more of her.

And then he watched her disappear into the mass of people on her way toward the next traffic light where she had to cross the street, with her umbrella in hand, moving further and further away from him until she was just a memory, a mystery he longed to solve. And so there was only one thing he could do and hope that they were meant to meet again. 

"Goodbye, Anne with an E," he whispered as well despite the fact that she couldn't hear him anymore. 

He didn't know what happened. The only thing he knew was that the moment the two of them shared an umbrella in the pouring rain he lived through the most real thing he was ever allowed to feel. He wasn't sure what it was exactly that he found in her. All he was certain of was that he wasn't ready to let go of it right away. And with this thought, he made his way to Moody's workplace to finally get home, whilst he thought about the forest nymph, who shared her umbrella with him and took more away than just his breath.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work in English and I hope you like it so far. I would like to hear your thoughts about it. 
> 
> In the next chapter the Global and Bookish owners get to know Cole Mackenzie. Moody shows up and who knows, maybe we'll see something from ASC too.


	3. The Soul's Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see the Aftermath of the Meet Cute and get a glimpse into Anne's life and why she writes under a pseudonym. Moody is finally here and he loves teasing Gilbert as much as Bash does because our dear Gilbert is a take notice kind of guy. 
> 
> The owners of Global and Bookish meet Cole Mackenzie and begin initial contract negotiations for ASC's reading at the bookstore.
> 
> I'm always open to constructive criticism, so please let me know what you think of my AU

Lake Ontario was a serene place on that chilly grey November day as Anne Shirley-Cuthbert gazed admiringly at the bluish-grey hue of the big water, with her thoughts on the event of yesterday, the encounter she couldn't get out of her head anymore. The lakes, deep blue soothing waves with an almost lulling effect moved rhythmically to the rustle of the wind that carried them to the sandy shoreline. On this early morning, gentle azure streams kissed the lakeshore, where some tourists and residents enjoyed the view into the vastness, the infiniteness of the water, capturing the seldom moment of calm that is so rarely found in a metropolis like Toronto. After the last few days of the seasonal autumn weather with a big amount of rain, the people were delighted to witness a dry and rain-free day. Chirping birds and seagulls met in the grey firmament that lay cloudless over Toronto's harbor and the city itself, circling in the air while they were looking from above at the place where activity was already evident on the streets. The air in those early hours carried a cool breeze, in which the aroma of the sea lay, settling salty scenting in the nostrils of the citizens of the cosmopolitan place. 

On the balcony of her hotel suite of the Radisson Blu Downtown Hotel, situated directly at the harbor of Toronto, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert let the fresh breeze caress her smooth freckled complexion, tickling her large full eyelashes at the moment she inhaled the salty scent of the water she was admiring. Auburn, shiny tresses were blowing softly in the wind coming from the southeast direction. Tightly wrapped in her favorite light blue blanket, knitted by her adoptive mother and her eyes closed, she inhaled the fresh morning air, enjoying the quiet moment, not knowing when she would have such a moment of stillness the next time again. The rustling of the waves was a soothing sound in her ears, something she was clearly enjoying after the last few stressful weeks. Anne was noticeably one with nature when she took in her surroundings with all her senses and experienced a moment that felt like a balm for her stressed soul, which elicited a gentle smile on her face.

The past few weeks have been so hectic for her that she appreciated every moment of calm. Always traveling on the plane with which she jetted first across the United States and now Canada exhausted her, one of the reasons why she was glad for the beautiful moment right now.

"You're up early this morning!" The squeaking of the sliding door that leads from the hotel suite to the balcony brought Anne suddenly out of her moment of silence. Her best friend, Cole Mackenzie, stood yawning in the doorway, stretching his slender arms up in the air. 

His ice-blue eyes held tiredness, evident in the dark circles under them as he stood there dressed in his gray pajamas, the hotel's white slippers, and a royal blue bathrobe. The stiff sea breeze and the fact that he had only just got up made his otherwise deep voice appear even deeper with certain hoarseness that plagued his throat. 

Anne and Cole went to Avonlea High together. That's where they met in their freshman year. They were wallflowers, outsiders in their school days, two passionate individuals who for the majority of their classmates did not conform to the norm. Anne was the spirited girl with a temper and all the big words that most of their classmates were unable to comprehend while Cole, on the other hand, was still, a quiet student with incredible artistic talent, a skinny boy with a soft and sensitive side that was mostly seen as unmanly and too feminine.

All they had back in their high school days was each other, and that was the best thing that could happen to them because in each other they found their best friend, someone to whom they could confide their greatest secrets. Cole is the only person who really knows every detail of Anne's gruesome childhood. For trusting him with her secret, he thanked her by telling her his. Cole feels drawn to the same sex, a fact he found hard to accept at the time. It was just troublesome for him to accept himself as the person he is. Only Anne's unceasing support and her encouragement, when she said that it doesn't matter who we love, as long as we do it with our whole heart, showed him the way to be able to accept himself with everything he is, his strengths and weaknesses, flaws and scars and everything in between. Thanks to her, he can now love the people he would like to love.

While she is the fire, he is the water, but without ever blowing out her flames. Instead, he holds her on the ground, tethering her even though he is still giving her the space she deserves to spread her wings and fly. Cole is Anne's voice of reason, the one who does what is so important in the times of her great international success. He is the one, who helps her by never letting her forget who she is, where she comes from, and which hurdles she had to overcome to get to the point in her life that she has reached.

He is not only one of her best friends, but he is also her manager, the person in charge of negotiating contracts and to organize the promotion of her books. It is one of his areas of responsibility to work in close consultation with Dunlop Publishing House, the publishing company that is responsible for the release of the books written by Anne under the pseudonym ASC. There are days when it is difficult for both of them to work together, given that it is not easy to separate personal and professional life, a circumstance that has led to problems several times. However, the foundation of their friendship has always been firm enough to ignore such things and to find a common basis for their professional cooperation. The good team that they are and the unity they have formed is an important reason for the worldwide success of the Tragical romance book series, something that is often underestimated by others.

  
  
  


Anne breathed softly into the crispy coldness, taking in the freshness of the new morning, in which the scent of yesterday's rain shower could still be smelled. Her exhalation met the fresh morning whiff that surrounded the harbor that early day. 

"I couldn't sleep any longer. There's just too much on my mind." She admitted, sighing, exhausted from all the travels in the last few days, and the thoughts of the tint of greenish-brown hazel eyes that pierced her, staring intensely into the depths of her grey-blue globes, and how she had the sentiment that they were even gazing deeper than that, towards a secret garden where all the wild flowers grow that have been trampled on so commonly, rooted in a place that is familiar with the feeling of solitude, usually hidden behind the bricks of the high walls that she built to protect herself from fear of further harm.

The worst part is that she didn't mind the piercing gaze, the way he, Gil as she now knows, looked at her as if he had found something worth looking at. That one moment the day before, when she shared her umbrella with a stranger in the pouring rain, has been stuck in her head since then. The fraction of a second in which the tips of her fingers touched the smooth layer of his hand, the moment in which her lips placed a rewarding kiss as soft as a feather on his strong jawline, and those damn hazel eyes that were fixed at her searching and finding something all at once crept into her dreams, stealing much more than just her sleep. Anything captivated her, may it have been the gentleness in the irises of his warm intense hazel eyes, or the tiny dimple that formed when he flashed her his handsome smile, something about him had the power to chisel cracks in the walls that are supposed to protect the crux, the substance of her existence. It confused her immensely, because how can it be that a stranger just appears out of nowhere, walks into her life, and changes it with nothing more than just a glance or a single touch, even though she will probably never see him again. 

She turned around, leaning with her back against the balustrade of the balcony, snuggling into her knitted woolen blanket the moment her blue orbs fell on her friend Cole, whose tousled strawberry-blonde hair was even more tousled than normally by the waft of the wind that carried the fresh-smelling fragrance of the sea. 

"Is it that splendid chin you're thinking of?" Cole has known her long enough to sense that her mind was somewhere else and so he wanted to know, if she was thinking about the attractive stranger, familiar with the story of how his red-headed best friend met a selfless young man on a damp walkway in midst of the big city, the person who brought her back her umbrella, which is not just a shelter from the rain for Anne but a reminder of her adoptive father Matthew, who is unfortunately far too far away from her, living in Avonlea on the other side of the country. The strawberry-blonde young man tied the belt of his terrycloth bathrobe, a bit freezing from the fresh breeze coming from the direction of Lake Ontario as he trotted toward Anne, who gave him a stern look that resembled a death stare. Cole Mackenzie may be a Kindred Spirit, but there are moments when she would like to strangle him with her bare hands, especially when he is teasing her for something she confided in him. 

Standing right next to her, he leaned against the metal balustrade, swinging his right arm around Anne's shoulders that he squeezed affectionately. "Come on Anne, you said yourself that he was handsome and what a pretty chin he has. It's so rare for you that a man attracts you so please let me enjoy it," he said, almost pleading, after all, he has known Anne long enough to know what is going on in her love life and what's not.

The last relationship Anne had was two years ago with a young man named Royal Gardner, the junior chef of Gardner Publishing, a publisher company with whom she was negotiating a contract for the publication of the second book in her book series, written by her under the pseudonym ASC. He was everything she always wanted, tall and handsome with dark melancholy, inscrutable eyes, an intellectual who, with his melting musical voice, came closest to the hero of her dreams, the person she described as the ideal of a man. Roy, as most people called him, bore resemblance to the male protagonist of the stories she wrote when she was growing up in Avonlea, where she and Cole had built up a story club in the haunted woods, a safe haven where they had the opportunity to express their creativity and write stories of kingdoms, tragedies, and enchanted forests. 

Royal Gardner, however, possessed many attributes that matched to her ideal but he didn't see her. Although his dark, melancholy orbs saw the light in her blue eyes, he never had the urge to fathom the darkness beyond. He never made the effort to discover the depths of her layers, to get to know every nook and edge of her. Constantly standing on the brim of the shore, he dared no more than just the touch of her surface, unwilling to dive into the depths of her soul. All Roy saw in her was a beautiful shell that possessed a talent that made big money for his company. The moment she realized his real intentions, she felt not only used by him, no she felt hurt and disappointed as well, after all, she trusted him not only with her work but also a part of herself. After the break-up, Anne signed a contract with Dunlop Publishing House, a cherished place that values her work for what it is, books that tell stories that touch the reader, encourage and inspire them, and not just make tons of money.

Nothing Roy did surprise her, for as little as she felt loved by Roy, so little love she bore for him. Fortunately, she never fell deep enough for him, to be able to discern the unexplored foundation of his essence because if she had lost her all to him she might have lost herself in the end. In the past few years, she tried to learn how to value her own self, feeling certain that a man who is not ready to touch the wounds of her past, to live through them with her to understand all that she is, is not someone who deserves her unwavering affection. Most of her wounds are invisible, scarred in the walls of her core, but they are still bleeding due to the fact that some of them are too deep-rooted to ever stop from it. Her scars are the pain of an orphan who lost her parents when she was less than 3 months old, torn from life because a drunk driver ignored the red light, crashing head-on into her parents' car, both of whom were dead on the spot. After the tragic death of them, Anne grew up in foster care until she was 13 years old, pushed from one to the next foster home, where her innocent soul experienced psychological abuse and assaultive violence that not only scarred her soul but also covered parts of her skin. And even though the scars faded as time went by, they're still lingering there with an ache that runs deeper than just into the cells of her epidermis. Every pain that she had to experience lies buried within her with the weight of bricks, building the walls behind which she has been hiding in the secret garden where all the wild flowers grew that define her whole. 

"There's nothing for you to enjoy. He's a stranger in a big city who I'll probably never see again." Anne was fiddling with the fringes of her woolen blanket that was wrapped tightly around her petite physique, reminding her of the maternal hugs from Marilla, which she always misses when she is on one of her rare book tours. Since she had told Cole about the encounter with Gil, her best friend could not stop pestering her on the subject, much to the displeasure of Anne, who wanted to forget the young man who secretly and quietly sneaked into her thoughts. But some things are easier said than done and so hazel eyes, a cute dimple, and the most splendid chin she ever saw manifested themselves in her recollection. 

Cole rubbed his friend's arms, assuming that she was at least as cold as he was. Lastly, the sea breeze was anything but warm. "I just can't believe you really got on the bus and got off at the next stop. I mean he was hot," he said, rolling his eyes a little exaggerated, acting as if Anne had committed a crime. "How many times have you got the chance to meet a hot guy who is apparently not only extremely handsome but also somehow kind and selfless?... You should have taken him to your room to examine his chin and everything else from a closer distance if you know what I mean." 

Anne's friend had the nerve to add a suggestive wink to his words, which moved her to take revenge with a hard nudge of her left elbow into his costal arch. His skinny arm left her shoulders to take hold of his rib, which he was patting with his right hand. "Fuck, Annie Bananie, that hurt. I bet I'll get a bruise from that." Cole's utterance came with a hiss as his blue eyes rested on his ribs, lifting the shirt of his pajamas a bit, to observe his rib, which was indeed forming a bruise. "Look it's getting blue"

"First off, not everyone only thinks about sex. You weren't there, how do you even know he was hot?. And if you call me Annie Bananie one more time, you can get prepared for a bruise on your eye, you ninny." The threat in Anne's words was not hidden from Cole. Whatever, familiar enough with the fiery temper of the redhead he fell into a fit of laughter, feeling more entertained than threatened.

The wind from the southeast intensified slightly, transporting a cool breeze with it, which increased the rhythm of the waves, no longer making them gently kiss the shore. As they met the sand in a rustling whip, there was a recognizable change in them. This change did not remain hidden from the eyes of Anne and Cole, who had meanwhile focused their gaze on Lake Ontario, deeply inhaling the fresh breeze of the sea. 

Cole's hands clutched the balustrade tightly while his strawberry blonde hair moved with the wind. His gaze wandered into the distance, watching the ships sailing on the water whilst they were on their way to the port on Lake Ontario. "You dated Roy Gardner and he was hot. I trust your good taste in men." He addressed his words to Anne, who somehow seemed absent at the moment, at least with her mind.

Somewhere amid her view at the sea, she found herself on the sidewalk in the rain, standing under a white dotted green umbrella that was held in a strong grip by long delicate fingers. The way the pouring rain vibrated against the green texture of her rainshade, adjusting to the rapid beat of her heart and the intensity of the moment, and most of all his staring gaze, irritated her considering she never thought it possible to ever experience anything as real as that fateful moment in the coldness of November rain. There was something about him, a captivating way that so unexpectedly entered her life and pierced deeper than just her skin. Somehow, all the little moments with their burning sensation were able to nestle in a place under her surface, tattooed in the shape of an umbrella, to capture the memory which from now on could no longer be suppressed from her mind. And so, she felt this tugging at her heartstrings once again, reliving the moment in which she felt truly seen for the first time in her life. 

Anne's lips escaped a deep sigh as she witnessed how the people at the shore enjoyed this fresh but beautiful morning. "Roy, the bastard used me, my taste in men can't be as good as you say. All he wanted from me was the money that my books made. A pretty shell doesn't always have a pretty core, you should remember that." 

As one would suspect, Cole knows everything about the relationship between Anne and Roy back in the days. After everything, it was he as her manager who then initiated negotiations with Dunlop Publishing House so that she could sever any professional relationship with Roy as well. "I know, but not every man is such an asshole like Roy, and from what you've told me I don't think the sexy stranger can be compared to the bastard. Just because you've had a bad experience doesn't mean that every man is just out to benefit from you and your talent."

In the last few years, Cole has caught sight of how Anne built the walls higher in her heart, the reason being her distrust of other men, and people in general. All the hurt and disappointments of her past have led her to publish her written works under the pseudonym ASC just to protect herself and her identity. Surely, there were people in her past, actually men, who tried to get closer to her, but Anne pushed everyone away just to see if they were ready to pull her back. Not one of them ever did it, possibly not having enough strength in the magnetic field to draw her in. She's just too afraid of one day falling so deep for someone that she can't be saved anymore. The free-fall into the unknown scares her too much to tear open the wall, which rose a little higher with every harm she had to endure. Due to this fact, she decided that she won't let anyone get closer who doesn't intend to stay. What she craves for most, with every fiber of her being, is to be seen for more than the famous author with the great talent for writing. Since the fiasco with Roy, she's been hoping to find someone, a man who doesn't care who she is today but who wants to get the knowledge of how she became who she is, someone to whom she can bare not only her body but also the inside of her heart, a loving soul who is tender to her because he knows how easily she bruises. 

Being caressed by the breath of the wind, the author and her manager looked out into the vastness of the lake, cuddling up in their clothes to face the cold. Above them in the sky they heard the croaking of the seagulls, circling over their heads, as they accompanied the windy breeze. 

"You act like I've let the love of my life run out of my hands. I admit it was a confusing encounter with a very attractive man, but you're definitely interpreting too much into it." Anne had to laugh. Every time she meets a man, be it by chance or for professional reasons, her best friend assumes that this man is the love of her life, only to end up watching her not respond to any of the advances from them. Of course, the encounter with Gil was so much more, something that had never happened to her in this way before, but for reasons of self-protection, Anne wasn't ready to admit it at that very moment. 

A strong gust of wind came up, bringing coldness with it, which lashed the faces of the two friends. Anne started rubbing her arms freezing from the morning chill that encircled Toronto's harbor. "Let's go in, I'm getting cold," she uttered her suggestion, placing her hand on Cole's shoulder who was visibly pleased with her verbalization. 

Together they walked back into the expensive hotel suite that Cole had booked especially for their stay in Toronto. The moment they entered the room which resembled more an apartment, the young man let himself fall into the fluffy cream-colored cushions of the large lounge sofa that was placed in the living area of the suite, warming himself with the woolen blanket that was folded up on the edge of the sofa. His freezing body found warmth under the soft fabric of the quilt in which he buried his face up to the tip of his nose. 

"Thank God, it was freezing cold outside. I can't understand how you can enjoy the cold weather so much." He shook his head under the blanket, sometimes not able to understand Anne's love for nature. "But now back to the subject ... I'm not saying you should have jetted to Las Vegas with him to get married, but you could at least have asked the hexy guy for his phone number." He directed his words mumbling to his best friend, seeing over the brim of the cozy duvet how Anne's expression started to show a hint of annoyance. 

The redhead rolled her eyes visibly annoyed that Cole can't let the subject lay down."Hexy, huh? And for your information, there is no more marvelous feeling than to be one with nature. It is by far the best way to lose your mind because in nature you will always find more than you are actually looking for." 

Cole raised his left blonde eyebrow, scratching his forehead as he tried to enlighten her. "Hexy, you know hot and sexy. If I were you, I wouldn't have got on the bus. I would have stayed until your romantic moment had ended naturally." His words were accompanied by a wink. Calling it a romantic moment was obviously not appreciated by Anne, which could be seen from the way she looked at him sternly. Anyway, Cole didn't care so he kept talking. "Now tell me, did you find more than you were looking for when you stood in the freezing hell there? He inquired, pointing to the balcony. 

The bestseller author was tightly wrapped in her favorite woolen blanket as she sank into the comfortable wing chair, standing next to the comfy sofa, which gave a good view of the wide glass fronts of the hotel suite, offering a perfect overlook of Lake Ontario. While she sat there, she wondered why Cole is always hoping that she will find a man, it's not that she's an unhappy single. Her previous life has only taught her to be more careful with her heart so as not to lose it to the first best man she comes across.

"Yes, I found a minute of stillness until you came." She remarked, pretending to be mad at him before she opened her mouth once more. "I don't think you get it, Cole. I had to walk away from him because if I had stayed longer I might never have wanted to go. It was such an intense moment. He's been gazing at me in a way that I can't explain to myself and that's so confusing. The whole encounter was nothing but confusing and you know very well that I can't just ask a stranger for his phone number. After all, you never know if he's a serial killer. What if he's the second Ted Bundy?" Anne voiced her thoughts with a giggle, not really assuming that Gil is a serial killer, but someone never knows. 

After a moment of silence, her mood changed, evident in the way how she frowned, a sign that she was becoming thoughtful. "Cole!" She started anew, wanting to get Cole's attention, which wasn't necessary since she had it all the time, his blue orbs already fixed at her. 

"Yes, Anne?"

"He looked at me like no other person had ever looked at me before as if he had seen something worth looking at, something deep inside me. I never thought anyone could look at me that way as if I am something special," she told him, her voice cracking as she uttered her words. Anne couldn't understand how it could be possible that she had the impression that the handsome man with whom she shared her umbrella the previous day apparently found not only her outward appearance attractive but also what he discovered behind her blue-gray eyes.

Lying on the sofa, Cole straightened up a bit, his face no longer hidden under the blanket that warmed him. "So he looked at you the way I look at a piece of pepperoni pizza." It was an attempt to cheer her up, coming along with a chuckle that echoed through the living area the moment his gaze turned to Anne. 

He faced his friend and business partner who seemed to be crestfallen as if her world had undergone a change that made her doubt whether she was worth being gazed at as she had just described. The warm blanket that had covered him a moment earlier was placed over his back by him as he moved to the end of the sofa he was lying on. The armchair in which Anne sat while staring at Lake Ontario was positioned right next to the strawberry-blonde manager and thus he leaned slightly over to put his cold hand on Anne's warm one, squeezing it firmly but affectionately. "I'm sorry Anne. I was just kidding, but you know how much I love pepperoni pizza." 

Anne gave him a half-smile and nodded, but said nothing, waiting for Cole to continue with what he had to say and that he did, opening his mouth just then. "You are special, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. You are beautiful, intelligent and the person with the biggest heart possible. Anyone who does not recognize this is either blind or senile. You, my dear, are the best friend anyone can imagine, a person who, despite everything you have been through in your life, has never stopped seeing the good in people." His right thumb found itself on her cheek, wiping away the first drops that fell from blue eyes that filled with tears. "Thanks to you, Matthew and Marilla became whole new people, you don't even know how happy you made them and they are so proud of you, just like me. With you, they have fulfilled a wish that they probably didn't know they were making. I want you to know that you are worth so much Anne, and I think your mysterious stranger recognized that too, just like I did when I saw you for the first time." 

Anne sobbed, not knowing why Cole's words made her so emotional. _Perhaps, I just get a visit from my monthly flowering time._ She thought to herself, angry at Gil, and that he, although she doesn't know him and probably never sees him again, has such an impact on her emotional state. Using the tip of her wool blanket, she wiped the tears from her cheeks, turning her reddened eyes to Cole, who gave her a tenderhearted smile. "Thanks, Cole, you are the best. I needed that but can we please stop talking about yesterday?" Her words were pleading, wanting to forget the incident that occupied her mind so much, which is why she wanted to change the subject.

"Tell me, have you heard from the bookstore owners by now?"

Cole looked at Anne questioningly until it occurred to him that he still had a phone call to make. The day before he tried to reach Gilbert Blythe, the co-owner of Global and Bookish, but either Mr. Blythe left a wrong phone number or he just couldn't be reached. Not even a voicemail was set up so that he couldn't leave a message over the phone either. At first, he thought that this was a rather unprofessional behavior, but he quickly remembered that Global and Bookish is a small bookstore that is certainly not used to correspond with the management of a famous author.

He jolted his head from right to left, giving her a reply. "No, but thanks for the reminder. It's early in the morning, maybe Mr. Blythe can be reached now. I'll go to my room and try right away." And with that, he gave Anne a kiss on her forehead and headed to his room, hoping to get Mr. Blythe on the phone. 

In the living area, Anne sat warmly wrapped in her blanket and thought about the name she had heard for the first time. Her following words resounded in a whisper through the room.

"Mr. Blythe sounds like joy somehow. Maybe he's a Kindred Spirit" 

* * *

  
  


Top Pot is a popular place for people who want to hang out with friends or study over a steaming hot cup of coffee. The little coffee shop, located on Davenport Avenue in Downtown Toronto, is a place where mainly students hang out, spending their time there in a relaxed atmosphere. The urban, cozy environment is very much appreciated by the guests of the small coffee shop, which is furnished in a retro vintage style. Especially wooden elements are an important part of the interior, giving the ambiance its special charm. Old wooden chairs with upholstery that are strongly reminiscent of fabric patterns from the 70s, as well as old comfortable sofas adorned with fluffy cushions in all possible colors usually invite mostly young guests to linger. With all its beautiful green plants, which are not only found on the tables in the café but are also attached to the walls and hang from the ceiling, it definitely can be compared to an indoor garden. 

"Who was that?" Moody Spurgeon Macpherson who was on his morning shift asked curiously when he saw his best friend Gilbert Blythe emerge with a big grin from the back room of the coffee shop, where, with Moody's permission, he was allowed to make the phone call that he received a few minutes earlier. One of the house rules at Top Pot is usually the no cell phone rule, simply for the reason that the calls can be annoying for the plentiful customers who often spend their time studying there. After all, they are looking for a quiet place to concentrate on their studies and not an environment where they are disturbed by annoying chit-chats. 

When Gilbert begged his friend Moody with his warm hazel puppy eyes, however, he couldn't help but allow his best friend to have the seemingly important call in the sacred rooms of Top Pot. Moody always finds it hard to turn down his best friend, not least because Gilbert was the one who introduced him to Ruby Gillis, his sweet, beautiful girlfriend which he hoped will soon be his fiancée.

"Did anyone report on your notice on the Lost and Found board?" Moody added to his previous question, watching the grin fade from Gilbert's face.

Instead, Gilbert's expression showed a disappointment that the medical student didn't want to think about at the moment, since the news he had received was too positive for that. The call from Cole Mackenzie was what he had been waiting for, but the thought of the beauty with the fiery red hair and the deep blue eyes in which he not only discovered an ocean but completely unknown land was all he could think of.

It was only a day ago, but he hoped that his idea would bring success, to possibly meet the wood nymph, who seemed unreal and real all at once, again.

Gilbert pressed his lips together, his dark brown curly hair waving from right to left as he shook his head. "No, the call had nothing to do with it. It was just a conversation with a business partner that Bash and I will meet here in an hour." He informed Moody, nervously chewing on his lips. 

The thoughts on his mind wandered to lips that weren't his own. Soft pink lips, from which cold rain was dripping down, the seductive mouth from which the words came that were spoken in the silky voice that so captivated him. He had to sigh, verbalizing his concerns about the note he pinned on Top Pot's Lost and Found board the afternoon before. "It was probably a stupid idea to pin this silly note on the board. What is the probability that she will go to buy her coffee here?" 

"I mean you are pining so it fits and you know that we're a good frequented coffee shop. Who knows, maybe someday she'll show up here." Moody chuckled, discovering a whole new side of his best friend. Gilbert was never someone who had to attract a woman's attention of his own accord, so far this has always simply fallen into his lap, although Gilbert never used this to his advantage. This situation was different, however, simply for the reason that Gilbert was pinning for a stranger, a person he didn't know more about than her first name.

"I'm not pining!" Gilbert contradicted the words spoken by the theology student, who wiped a rag over the counter of the coffee shop, which was already well attended that morning. Moody's bushy eyebrow lifted above his right eye, certain that Gilbert was contradicting himself, after all, what he had done is a clear indication that his friend is at least in the process of catching feelings for the stranger named Anne. He tossed the damp rag on the table, drying his hands on his apron, as he took casual steps into the corner where the Lost and Found board was attached to the wall.

"Well, let's see." He began as he stood in front of the wooden board, tapping at the note Gilbert had pinned there the previous afternoon. Sitting on a high chair at the counter, Gilbert rolled his eyes, having to witness the theatrical behavior of his friend, who cleared his throat and began reading the note in which Gilbert put all his hopes to find the dryad who had enchanted him.

"AnnE, the white dots on your green umbrella spot it in the same way as the countless pretty freckles, your face, making it something special like our moment in the pouring November rain. You lost your umbrella on Avenue Road and I found not only the item that is so significant for you but you as well. I have the feeling that we were meant to meet, so if you're reading this and have the same feeling, get in touch with me. I would like to see you again. x Gil"

After Moody read the note, he turned to his friend, crossing his arms over his chest while giving Gilbert a pointed look. "Bro, you write something like that and then you claim that's not pining? You're crushing on her, admit it or I'll tell Bash about your encounter, and believe me when I tell you he's just waiting for such a moment. He'll tease the hell out of you when he hears about it." 

Sometimes Gilbert wonders why he had to choose friends who see it as their hobby to tease him. Can't a man just feel the need to turn an encounter into an acquaintance that might lead to a friendship? Without a doubt, he was aware that his thoughts go further than friendship but all these thoughts are locked deep inside him as a secret that he isn't ready to reveal, resting close to his heart.

Hot black coffee sank into Gilbert's taste buds, running through his throat into his stomach where a warm feeling could already be found, kindled by the match lying in the grip of Anne's hands. How else should he explain this warm feeling that spread through his entire body, the burning sensation that settled next to his heart? And for sure he began crushing on her, the enigma in which he suspects something that is invisible to the naked eye and that he desperately wants to solve. He couldn't deny that, but neither could he admit it, because that would turn something that is an unspoken feeling into a reality and he wasn't ready for it yet, not when there is not much hope of ever being able to look again into the ocean in which he would like to drown, bathing in the light that so warmed him.

The more Gilbert tried not to think about yesterday, the more he did it. When he arrived at Top Pot after that unexpected encounter in the rain that made him feel emotions that he didn't know he was able to feel, the first thing he did was ask Moody if Top Pot is usually visited by red-haired women. In retrospect, it was a stupid question, considering that Toronto is a city of millions, meaning that redheads of course also must visit the small cozy coffee shop. The same was said by the confused Moody yesterday afternoon, who didn't know what was suddenly going on with Gilbert, who arrived there in a trance state, as if someone had put a spell on him, obviously bewitching him with an unknown power.

Gilbert wasn't exactly sure what was happening there in the rain when he stared into eyes that held an ocean, discovering blue-gray depths that dragged him with them, dipping into an area that he wanted to fathom with everything he had. He wants to visit the secret garden where he suspects the wildest and most beautiful flowers, wild flowers that he doesn't want to pick, however. Instead, he wants to recognize the roots, dig up the soil, and water it to see what depths are there and how deep they're rooted. 

All he knew was that something was happening right there in the rain that was not only the most real thing he had ever experienced but also the most intense, something that left him speechless and without words on the wet pathway. Even a thousand words would not be enough to ever describe what he discovered standing there in the rain, protected by a green umbrella. Yes, she took his breath, as well as every clear thought, and when he saw her disappear into the crowd he was sure that she was taking a lot more with her, a part of him that he had lost to her, even if he didn't know how this could even happen to him. But this is something he won't admit anytime soon. 

There was an audible noise as Gilbert put his white coffee mug with the yellow Top Pot logo on the counter plate, wiping the residue of the hot drink from the corners of his mouth with the sleeves of his red plaid jacket. He made a mental note to put the jacket in the wash as soon as he got home. "I'm not crushing on her." He lied to Moody, knowing this is best, for now, hoping that the infatuation will go away as soon as it came. "I'm just interested in meeting her again."

Moody has known his best friend long enough to expose the lies that lay in the words of the hazel-eyed young medical student. "Tell yourself this for as long as you want. How long have we known each other?" 

He paused for a moment, seeing Gilbert tear his napkin into tiny little pieces, causing Moody to an eye roll. "Seven years Gilbert. We've known each other for almost seven years and not once have I seen you like yesterday, not even when you were with Winnie and you fucked her." The brown-haired theology student tried to make a point. He knew he was right about what he said, simply because he had enough inside knowledge to know that Gilbert never behaved as he did now in his relationship with Winifred. "You got it bad, bro and you know it. Love at first sight, something like that can only happen to you."

"I'm not in love with her. How am I supposed to be in love with her if I don't even really know her?" Gilbert protested, shaking his head vigorously before he sensed someone standing behind him. The worst impossible nightmare came true when he suddenly felt a person's hand on his shoulder. His eyes showed a shocked expression when he recognized the skin color of the hand that was resting on his broad shoulder because he knew immediately who the person was standing directly behind him.

A Trinidadian accent echoed through the rooms of Top Pot, whereupon Gilbert wished he could sink into the ground, not wanting to subject himself to Bash's teasing. "Blythe, the moke is in love?" Along with a toothy grin, Sebastian directed his question incredulously to Moody, who was struggling to suppress his laughter. "Who is she and why am I only finding out about it now?" He sank into the high chair next to Gilbert, who wished Mr. Mackenzie would show up quickly so he could avoid his brother's questions.

In the last few years, Sebastian has seen how Gilbert took refuge in the world of books, looking for something that he either couldn't or didn't want to find in the real world. After the relationship with Winifred, Gilbert had a few dates, but they never went beyond that. Bash knows that Gilbert deserves to find a partner in whom he finds his greatest adventure, someone who shows him the joy of life and loves more deeply and intensely than possible. For Gilbert, it may be teasing, but for Bash, it is the expression of his brotherly love for the young man with whom he does not share the same DNA, but who is still family to him. 

"Her name is Anne, Gilbert met her yesterday. Our Walter Whiteman here wrote a little note. Just take a look at the Lost and Found board and you'll know what happened." Moody, who likes to talk a lot and to Gilbert's chagrin, couldn't keep his mouth shut, addressed his words to Bash, who was clearly interested in the story, whereupon Gilbert shot his friends a death stare. 

"It's Walt Whitman, not Whiteman and for the record, Anne's just a stranger I met and who I would like to see again but that doesn't mean that I'm in love with her." Gilbert corrected Moody, somehow astonished by the fact that Moody even knows who Walt Whitman was, even if he mispronounced his name.

"Yeah Blythe, we know what a smart ass you are… Now back to your Anne, are you telling me that you didn't even get her phone number? Haven't you learned anything from me?" Bash asked. His eyes were wide as if he had just been kicked in the pit of his stomach. He saw Moody shake his head behind the counter, at which Bash buried his face in his hands, unable to believe that Gilbert was so stupid not to ask for her number. "You're such a stupid moke, Blythe!" Bash didn't have to tell him that twice. Gilbert knew himself that it was a huge mistake not to ask for her phone number. It was definitely a missed opportunity that he'll regret for a very long time, he was sure of it. 

Gilbert lay awake last night thinking of Anne who came into his life without warning, like an earthquake that shook him and brought forth emotions that were buried deep inside him. In her, he found parts of himself, reflected in the eyes which gazed deeply into his, grayish-blue spheres in which he found more than just beauty. There, behind the light of her blue irises, he spotted a shadow, a dark tint that his eyes also contain, and he could see it clearly, this small fleck that leads into the depths of her soul, to the place where all the things that define her are kept hidden. And for the first time, he felt the need to go so far as to learn the language of a human soul. 

Perhaps, Gilbert had no choice but to forget Anne, because what sense does it make to hold on to something that he will probably never experience again, a moment in November that will live on in his memories. Possibly, the best he can do is to banish her from his heart before it is too late and her name gets indelibly engraved there. 

* * *

The chatter of people echoed through the customer room of the cozy coffee shop, where study groups and friends had gathered this morning to spend their time with a good cup of coffee or one of the fancy drinks that are offered there. The coffee shop on Davenport Avenue was packed when Cole Mackenzie, dressed in a sleek, fitted dark gray Armani suit, entered the building where Top Pot is located. The bell on the door indicated that a new guest had entered the shop, but this was drowned out by the loud background noise that surrounded the place. 

Cole looked around the cafe that he assumed Anne would surely like. She would certainly feel at home in this place, with all the green plants that adorned the shop, whose large windows perfectly captured the daylight. On that late morning, he was on the lookout for the owners of Global and Bookish with whom he wanted to conduct initial contract negotiations for the upcoming ASC reading. His conversation with Mr. Blythe a few hours ago was quite pleasant, he sounded young, about his age and there was some excitement in his melodic voice, which Cole found a normal reaction considering that Mr. Blythe certainly doesn't get the opportunity to host a bestselling author's reading every day. Although it was still early in the day, there were a lot of people at Top Pot, which made it hard for Cole to find Mr. Blythe and Mr. Lacroix in the crowd, so he made his way to the counter, where he hoped for the help of the employee who was in charge of taking orders. "Welcome to Top Pot, my name is Moody what can I get you." The young, dark-haired employee greeted him, who gave him a friendly smile that didn't seem forced but genuine. 

Cole tried not to laugh. _Who calls their child Moody?_ He thought to himself as he gave the nice employee a smile back. 

"Don't worry, Moody is just my name, not my mood." Moody chuckled, apparently noticing Cole suppressing his laughter. "What can I get you?" 

Cole looked left and right, trying to guess who of the customers of the coffee shop could be the owners of Global and Bookish, but to no avail, so he turned back to Moody, who was waiting for him to place his order. "My name is Cole Mackenzie, I have a business meeting with Mr. Blythe and Mr. Lacroix. Is there any chance that you know the gentlemen?" He introduced himself, hoping that the employee with the funny name could help him.

Moody didn't have to look for them, knowing where they were sitting. His right index finger pointed to the quietest corner the small coffee shop had to offer and so he gave Cole the information he was hoping for. "Do you see that table in the corner by the Lost and Found board? The two men sitting there are who you are looking for" 

Obviously pleased to know where to find the owner of the bookstore, he thanked Moody, but not without ordering a vanilla chai latte. With the hot drink in hand, he approached the two men who were having a conversation. "Gentlemen, I hope I do not disturb you in your conversation. My name is Cole Mackenzie, I think we have an appointment!" He held out his hand in greeting, which was first shaken by the apparently older of the two men, who he assumed was Mr. Lacroix, which he confirmed a moment later. "You must be Mr. Blythe then," Cole concluded, extending his hand in greeting to the younger one too. 

The first thing Cole noticed about Mr. Blythe was his smile, it was warm and charming, a very attractive smile. The next thing that caught his eye was his chin and the strong jawline. Anne would surely like that, he thought, which made him chuckle. And then there were Mr. Blythe's eyes in a greenish-brown tone that must have made many knees weak. Cole's knees were shaking at least. He had to admit that Mr. Blythe was a very handsome man and at that moment he couldn't wait for Anne to meet him.

"Exactly, we are very happy to meet you, Mr. Mackenzie, but please have a seat." The good-looking man pointed to the opposite seat, right on the wall with the Lost and Found board that caught Cole's attention.

"It's always so interesting to see what some people lose or find." The manager of the famous author shared his thoughts, eliciting a mischievous smile on Bash's lips. 

"Indeed, Mr. Mackenzie. I've heard that some people have lost something and found the love of their life in the process." His gaze was fixed on Gilbert, who could only roll his eyes. Not even a business meeting prevents Sebastian from teasing him, something that annoyed him much.

Cole observed the Lost and Found board, smoothing his expensive Armani suit a bit as he directed his words to his business partners. "Please call me Cole. Mr. Mackenzie is my father. We will work more closely together in the next few weeks, so I think it would be appropriate if you call me by my first name." As serious as his job may be, it is always important to him that a pleasant working atmosphere develops and that everyone involved feels comfortable, which is why he prefers to be addressed by his first name. His gaze wandered a little more over the Lost and Found board until his eyes suddenly stopped and discovered a very specific note. "What the hell?" he uttered. He had found a note that was definitely addressed to his red-haired best friend.

Gilbert and Sebastian looked at each other questioningly, wondering what Cole saw there on the board that made him say this. "Is everything all right, Cole?" Gilbert wanted to know, watching how Cole finally sat down and opened his briefcase from which he took files with documents that Gilbert assumed were the contracts. 

His previously hot vanilla chai latte was now only lukewarm when Cole took a sip of his drink. "Thanks for asking, Mr. Blythe. I'm fine, I think we should start doing business now. Mr. Blythe hadn't given him his first name yet, but Cole was sure it was an old-fashioned name that began with a G. Gustav or George, something like that. The owners of Global and Bookish nodded in unison and so the contract negotiations began.

* * *

The negotiations between the contractual partners were rich in discussions but pleasant. The only unsatisfactory thing about the conversation was the outcome due to the fact that they did not lead to a final result. This was because the contracts can only be signed and the deal secured once the documents have been reviewed by the attorneys from both parties, a common procedure in this type of negotiation, as Gilbert and Sebastian learned. 

After their talks, the two Global and Bookish owners said goodbye to Cole Mackenzie with the joint decision to meet again as soon as everything was checked by the lawyers, hoping that everything can be set up quickly and that the reading can take place within the next few weeks.

Gilbert entered an empty house when he got home. After talking to Cole Mackenzie, Bash drove to Dellie's kindergarten, where there was apparently, again trouble with Johnny Walters, who made it his goal to tease the little girl. From what Bash told in his hurry, Gilbert only knew that Johnny pulled Delphine's hair again, which she answered with a kick in his balls. 

Now Bash and Mary were on their way to Delphine's kindergarten and Gilbert was alone, no longer thinking about the conversation with Cole Mackenzie, which could only briefly distract him from his fantasies about Anne.

"Why am I so fascinated by you?" he whispered into the emptiness of his room, where he threw himself on his bed, his arms crossed behind his head. 

All the newfound, unknown, and most of all unexpected emotions came over him like an avalanche under which he was buried, no longer knowing how to get out of the state he was in. The moment he laid his eyes on her, he felt that the world stopped, all that mattered was the connection between him and her, a moment full of magic and in which nothing else existed than them. The loud beating heart in his chest and his mind were at war because while his mind was telling him to forget her, his heart screamed to want to hold onto her, knowing that it had found something it was never allowed to feel before. Fighting in a war zone, on a battlefield that only one victor can leave, his heart and mind hoped for a sign, a signal that could end this fight.

Gilbert sighed, closing his eyes, which were just as exhausted as he was. How could this have happened to him? How was it possible that he could lose his heart in the blink of an eye and that to a woman he will probably never see again. His eyes were closed as he tried to stabilize his breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling. 

Quietness was what he wanted most of all at the moment, but he could forget this when his phone rang that lay next to him on the white bed sheet that was stretched over his mattress.

The display of his cell phone showed an unknown phone number as he swiped his thumb to the right and answered the call. The only thing the person on the other end could hear at that moment was his deep breathing, so it was the caller who spoke first.

"Gil, is that you? The sweetest voice imaginable asked. "It's me, Anne! A friend of mine found your note. I would be happy to see you again."

A second time within less than a day the sweet sound of the voice, which felt like silky smooth honey, made him speechless. He shook his head, unable to believe that on the other end of the phone the woman could be heard who changed everything. The forest nymph, who unanchored his world, drifting him into the vortex that pulled him to her like an invisible string that connected their souls, has found a way back to him, and now it was up to him to decide whether he is ready to explore if she is worth being kept there. 

Gilbert closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah, it's me, Gil!" He breathed, his heart beating loudly in his heaving chest while his lips formed a relieved smile that not only contained joy but above all hope. .

"It's really good to hear your beautiful voice, Anne with an E." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work in English and I hope you like it so far. I would like to hear your thoughts about it. 
> 
> __________________________________
> 
> Yay, a cliffhanger! I thought this would be a good way to end the chapter.
> 
> In the next chapter, 'Anne' and 'Gil' will meet again, but whether ASC will meet Gilbert Blythe remains to be seen. Diana Barry and Ruby Gillis finally show up and we see more of the Blythe / Lacroix family and daily life at Global and Bookish.


	4. Lost In Your Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! Here is the new chapter. But be warned it is the longest so far. We see a little of the family life of the Blythe / Lacroix family and get an insight into everyday life at Global and Bookish. Ruby Gillis and a ghost from Gilbert's past enter the story and 'Anne and Gil' meet again!!! I'm always open to constructive criticism, so please let me know what you think of my AU

It was a beautiful autumn morning in Toronto where ravens, pigeons, magpies, and blackbirds spread their wings, flying through the celestial sphere, from which the luminous core of heaven's eye greeted the Canadian metropolis at the beginning dawn over the horizon. In these early hours of this Saturday morning, the sun gazed down upon the earth with majestic elegance and witnessed its golden rays descending onto the capital of the province of Ottawa. The sun's rays shone down on them when Toronto's early risers observed the fluffy white clouds in front of a royal blue background which was a welcome contrast to the colorless view of the last days. A cold breath of wind whispered through the tendrils of the trees the moment the big city woke up. The brown wooden limbs of the greenery were shimmered by the beams of the sun, slowly thawing the night frost that reflected in the sunlight, glittering like twinkling diamonds in a nocturnal firmament. 

The bright solar globe hung high in the heaven above, falling on large piles where the colorful foliage of the season had piled. Small drops of water rolled from multicolored leaves and almost bare tree branches, kissed by the sunshine that reflected in them, sending their glow on the way towards Montgomery Avenue where it shone softly through the green lacquered windows of a red brick house. The soft sunlight fell through the glass panes of the windows, bathing the inviting kitchen of the house where the Blythe/Lacroix family had gathered for breakfast in a warm color of light. 

Mary Lacroix was already preparing breakfast in the modern kitchen of the house when a joyful whistle echoed through the hallways of the homestead. The stepping sound of approaching footsteps could be heard in the cook room where everyone was waiting for just one person.

"Good morning my dear family." Bash greeted with a toothy grin, standing in the door frame of the kitchen where he saw Gilbert and Dellie already sitting at the breakfast table while his wife was standing at the stove, baking the last pancakes for the family breakfast in the pan. He adjusted his suspenders while he shifted his gaze to his brother and business partner who as it looked like was somewhere else with his thoughts. 

Gilbert's eyes held a dreaming gaze as he sat there at the large mahogany table, his face supported by his hands, sort of absent with his thoughts that were anywhere except in the kitchen of his home. He didn't hear the greeting of his brother, since he was in midst of a daydream that led him to places that resembled paradise, to new-found land, where he met her, a fire-haired goddess, an aphrodite from whose fire he sought warmth. There in his dream state, the promised land, he craved to weave the tips of his fingers through her beguiling auburn tresses, gently caressing his way through each strand of her hair which was one of the first things that caught his eyes. At the same time, he desired to be burned by the fire that he expects in her, to let the heat scorch through the lines of his fingers into his skin, where it sinks deeply into his being to warm him from deep within. He wished for nothing more than to drown in the tidal wave of the ocean in her eyes, diving into depths that no one has explored before, the unknown that he wanted to turn into the known. All he hungered for was to be carried away by her stormy eyes, getting lost in the light that he discerned in her, the mysterious dryad he met in November rain. 

His mind was with Anne and the phone call he had with her the day before yesterday, and the fortune that was on his side when one of her friends discovered his note on the Lost and Found board at Top Pot. Anne, the beauty he encountered in the rain and who awakened feelings in him, that made the pulse in his arteries soar to unimaginable heights, actually wanted to meet him again and he couldn't believe it. It was difficult for him to comprehend his luck that he really will be able to get another chance to get to know the woman in whom he discovered a rareness, a beautiful shell with cracks and gaps through which so much light still falls, a person who he couldn't compare to any other woman he had ever met. He sensed that she is followed by darkness, the reason being that where there is light, there is always a shadow to be found, a fact he knows only too well, bearing his own shadow in which the pain of days gone by is hidden. From the first moment he saw her he knew that he was ready to learn the language of her soul, to get to know all the worlds that she held in her. That's why he was so glad that Anne had found him again.

Gilbert and Anne decided to meet this Saturday afternoon, a circumstance that made him clearly nervous, which he tried to hide. The literate medical student was deep in dreamland when a slap on the back of his head and the sound of Bash's Trinidadian accent in his ears ended his daydream abruptly. 

"Blythe, you moke! Where are you with your thoughts?" The older one wanted to know, making his way to Dellie who in the meantime painted a smiling face on her pancake with the maple syrup, licking the sticky substance from her little fingers afterward. "Let me guess, you are thinking of your Queen Anne."

Ever since Sebastian found out about Gilbert's fateful encounter on Avenue Road, it seemed like his goal was to torture Gilbert with his teasing. This had been going on for two days now and Gilbert was annoyed, wishing Moody had never opened his big mouth to tell Bash about it. He couldn't help but roll his eyes, scooping a spoonful of chocolate cereal into his mouth, from the corners of which the cold milk dripped down back in his blue porcelain cereal bowl which was a wedding present to Bash and Mary from Moody's parents.

"She is not my Queen Anne." He muttered annoyingly with his mouth full, emphasizing the word 'my' while Mary who seemed to disagree with his manners shot him a stern glance, pointing with the spatula directly at him. Gilbert returned her with an apologetic look, putting his spoon aside to raise his hands in surrender. He mouthed a "Sorry" before he went on eating his breakfast. 

It was preposterous of Bash to say something like that, although Gilbert found some truth in it. Part of him was ready to try to make her his, but the other more rational part in him was content with the opportunity to get to know her better. He was certain that there is a bond, a strong connection between them, but he knows that only time can tell whether Anne is really the one he has always longed for, even if his heart which beats faster every time someone mentions her name, was already giving him the answer to it. It made so little sense considering she's a stranger he knew next to nothing about, but every damn time he hears her name he sensed that flutter against his rib cage, the moment when the butterflies in his stomach open their wings and how they move to push through the gaps in his heart that he had already lost halfway to her, albeit it was illogical. But maybe love is like that, an illogical construct of feelings for which there are no words. Something that no line of a poem can portray, and the meaning of which cannot be found in any symphony of a ballad, probably not even a complete novel can put into words what the real love feels like, the tangible emotion that is visible with one's own eyes. Maybe it is something that cannot be described but has to be felt before one can truly know what love actually means.

The noise of Bash's chuckle sounded through the kitchen, pulling Gilbert out of his thought process. "Tell that to yourself, Blythe. Only a boy can't admit when he's gone over a lady." He said teasingly, scratching his beard the moment he bent down to his daughter who was enjoying her favorite pancakes made by her mommy to give her a loving kiss on her right cheek. "Good morning my little angel. Your uncle Gilby Goo is in love." The word love was stretched by him, slowly rolling from his tongue. 

Sebastian caressed the black curls of his daughter, laughing heartily at his brother who covered his face with his right hand and shook his head in annoyance. Usually sharing breakfast with Bash, Mary and Dellie is very special for Gilbert, a moment he cherishes and which has been so unfamiliar to him for so many years. When his father was still alive there were only the two of them and since both were rather bad cooks there was mostly only toast with scrambled eggs for the morning meal, one of the things that are almost edible when Gilbert cooks it. The time together over breakfast is a sacred moment in the Blythe / Lacroix household, giving a sense of belonging that Gilbert missed so much after his father died. Sure, he hates Bash's teasing, but he would hate to be without Bash's presence in his life even more. A happy smile formed on his lips as he watched Bash covering the face of his little daughter with countless little kisses, knowing and appreciating what he found in the 3 people he had breakfast with. He realized that he wouldn't have it any other way. 

The angelic giggles of Delphine were a heavenly sound that echoed through the whole house. Her smile that escaped a mouth rimmed with gluey maple syrup was heartwarming that autumn day. The sun was shining outside Toronto's houses, but it had no effect on the cold that was carried with the wind. "Daddy, isn't Mommy your little angel?" The five-year-old asked innocently, poking with her fork at the pancake Bash had cut into small pieces. Only sticky speckles remained of the laughing face that she had previously painted on her batter cake with the syrup, sticking to her purple plastic plate. 

Bash sneaked up behind his wife, who had the last pancake in the pan. He wrapped his arms around her, encasing her middle where his hands rested on her stomach as he gave her a tender kiss on her temple. An affectionate smile danced around his lips the second he directed his words to his daughter, his chocolate brown eyes fixed on Mary. "Your mommy is my big angel." He acknowledged, placing another kiss on his wife's forehead as he greeted her with a soft expression on his face. "Good morning love of my life." 

Mary hummed in return, placing the last batter cake on top of the pile with the others before she twirled around and enclosed the back of Bash's neck with the gentle palms of her hands. "Good morning Papa Bear." She addressed her husband with the endearment she had chosen for him, her lips nearing his as they expressed their love in a devoted kiss. Delphine, who seemingly didn't like her parents' public displays of affection, covered her eyes with her little hands, which made Gilbert burst out in laughter. 

Gilbert became thoughtful after the reverberation of his laughter faded into the kitchen, feeling a burning longing that was inflamed by the merry pair in front of his eyes. One day he would like to have exactly what Bash and Mary have, of that he was certain. All of his existence is craving for a woman who is not only the love of his life but also his truest friend, someone he will choose anew for the rest of his life because he knows that no one will ever touch his heart like her. Every day he wants to have a reason to be grateful to have a person by his side, to whom he can give all the love that he carries at the core of his being, wishing that he is loved in the way in which he loves, with intensity, devotion, passion and with absolutely everything a human has to give. In the arms of the person who is still an illusion, he wants to find his home, her embrace should become his favorite place, the port in which his heart wants to anchor for a once in a lifetime love. 

He saw Mary cover the tip of Bash's nose with pancake batter and the gentle way she kissed it away from there a minute after that. It was a brief intimate moment between the married couple that made Gilbert wish he could share such a moment with his own partner one day in his life. Such things are what he would like to be faced with; small moments like a gentle kiss on the tip of the nose, a morning dance in the kitchen to a sappy pop song that is playing on the radio, just brief instants that become the most precious memories. He has never had a person with whom such a short momentum felt like a whole firework, something in which the searing crackling can be felt. The only experience that is similar to all of this was an intense eye contact under an umbrella in the pouring rain and that was a feeling he hoped to be able to be blessed with again, surrounded by her presence, which he would like to orbit like a satellite, because he has this incomprehensible feeling of belonging right there, right next to his aphrodite, the forest nymph, of whom he doesn't know much more than her name. 

His strong hands found themselves on Delphine's arms trying to take her sticky hands from her eyes. "Dellie, your parents love each other. It is normal for them to kiss. When you are older in 20 years or so, you will want to be kissed by someone you love too." Gilbert didn't want to imagine that at some point in the distant future there would be young men at the door fighting for Delphine's attention. All he knew was that he would make it hard for them, knowing that his niece deserves nothing less than the best and he and Bash would surely take care of that. 

"Are you talking about yourself, Blythe? Would you like to be kissed by your Queen Anne?" Grinned Bash, who was still holding his beautiful wife in his arms, who then put him in his place with a slap on the chest, feeling sorry for Gilbert who is constantly exposed to Bash's teasing. It is not uncommon for Mary to take part in Bash's teasing for the reason that she has at least the same talent for it as her husband, but her mocking is usually kept somewhat hidden in the verbalization of her words, more subtle than Bash's so that Gilbert doesn't always find it in her articulation. 

All Bash got from Gilbert in response was a death stare. The younger man of the two had his attention turned to Dellie, who crossed her arms and jolted her head vehemently. Her black curly hair, which was held together by a pretty yellow bow with white dots, swung to the left and right in the act. "Boys are stupid. I will never kiss a stupid boy and certainly not someone like Johnny Walters."

After Dellie's last faux pas in kindergarten, there was a conversation between the kindergarten teacher and Johnny, who admitted during the talk that he constantly teases the girl because he likes her. His little round face went all red when he explained that he always calls her brownie because he finds her sweet like one and that brownies are his favorite baked goods. Dellie, however, was not at all enthusiastic about Johnny's announcement, which she has shown him since then with an ignorant behavior, still too young to face such things with seriousness. Anyway, the five-year-old girl is old enough to know how to avoid a subject, but maybe it was the observation of her father's behavior that led her to utter the following words, subconsciously teasing her uncle. 

"Do you love Queen Anne like daddy loves mommy, uncle Gilby? Is she a real Queen? Oh, can I meet her, uncle Gilby? Can I?" She asked excitedly, sitting wriggling in her chair, which had to be held by Bash so she wouldn't fall off.

Gilbert first had to take a deep breath, not being able to believe that he was being teased by a five-year-old, even if she didn't know what she was doing with what she said. Bash and Mary, who had meanwhile joined Delphine and Gilbert at the table, had to make every effort not to break out into a fit of laughter, proud of their daughter who is without a doubt a Lacroix. 

"Well…" The hazel-eyed young man started, nervously scratching the back of his head whereas Bash watched him with eagle eyes, making Gilbert more nervous than he already was. He tried not to reveal too much of his inner feelings when he answered his niece. "I would rather say that I like Anne and I'm sorry but I don't know if she is a queen, but she is definitely as beautiful as one." His utterance came along with a dreamy sigh before he added some more words to his previous verbalization. "But if I had to describe her I would compare her to a fairy, magical and mysterious all in one. In fact, I'll meet her today and who knows, if your uncle Gilby is not completely stupid you might meet her soon too. How does that sound?" He said, tickling his niece whose giggles reverberated across the kitchen. 

Gilbert didn't want his niece to have too high hopes of ever meeting Anne, the fairy. The reason was easy to name; he didn't know what to expect from the afternoon meeting, even if his expectations were understandably high after what the storm with skin in the shape of Anne had done to him. 

Like a hurricane without warning, she stormed into his life and messed everything up in a heartbeat. She left chaos inside of him, where something profound changed as if her whisper in the wind had activated a wave that carried all the unknown feelings to his surface, emotions in which above all hope was stoked. Seeing as she was the storm and he knew that storms never last, moving from one place to another, he dared to chase her, the tempest with an ocean in her eyes. All he wanted to know was if something could grow out of the rain she brought with her, perhaps a seed that over time arises into something that takes root cracks shells from which everything can be harvested that sprouts in the garden of their souls, maybe a fruitful relationship, be it a friendship or more that will keep the tornado with the stormy eyes in his life. 

Dellie's pupils widened enthusiastically at the eventual opportunity to meet Anne, whom she mistakenly thought, thanks to her uncle, to be a mythical creature. "A real fairy!" She whispered to herself, wearing a sunny smile on her face that shone with her eyes. Five-year-old girls believe in the beings of their imaginations, so it was no wonder that she believed Anne was a creature from another world, something Gilbert knew, despite her realism, must be true. How else could he have explained the aura that surrounded her appearance when he took all of her in, standing in the rain that was pouring down on them whilst they found shelter under an emerald green umbrella. 

The brilliancy from the solar globe, evidently resting in the atmosphere over the rooftops of Toronto illuminated the Blythe/Lacroix kitchen in a warm shade of amber, adorning the cook room with a honey golden hue. Gilbert's eyes reflected a single beam that had nothing to do with the yellow core that transported its rays to the earth. It was a spark of anticipation for the afternoon, for the moment when hazel eyes can get lost in the ocean held by mesmerizing blue orbs.

For a moment there was a comfortable silence in the room, the quiet smacking of Dellie and the clinking of dishes was the only sound that surrounded the space in which the family enjoyed the time together at breakfast. The impact of Bash's coffee cup with the slogan 'Best Daddy in the World' imprinted on it against the mahogany table caught the attention of the others when Sebastian's gaze fell on the clock that was hanging on the lime-colored wall where the gentle rays of the sun cast it in a beautiful light. Coming to a realization, the bearded man directed his words to Gilbert who was sipping on his freshly pressed orange juice, tasting the sour of his morning drink. 

"Blythe, hurry up, your shift in the store is about to begin," Sebastian ordered, buttering his toast and one for Delphine as well. "The sales manager of the Dunlop Publishing House has announced her visit for this morning and since Mary and I promised Delphine we would take her to the zoo, you have to take care of it. I hope you can forget about your Queen Anne for a moment and give the lady of ASC's publishing house your undivided attention." A day will never go by when Sebastian Lacroix does not tease Gilbert Blythe, and so he couldn't help mocking him at this moment either.

The contract documents for the upcoming ASC reading at Global and Bookish were still with the lawyers of both parties for review but apart from that, the two fronts were positive about the rest of the negotiations. Gilbert and Sebastian, as well as Cole Mackenzie, were certain that the contract talks were just mere formalities as a result of which they wanted to go one step further in the planning for the reading in the cozy bookstore. When he called them last night, Cole Mackenzie, however, had announced to the bookstore owners that the woman responsible for marketing the book series written by ASC would be paying a visit to see the premises at Global and Bookish. As Cole informed the two of them, the employee of the publishing house wants to get an idea of how many people can be accommodated in the rooms of Global and Bookish and to what extent the message should be spread about the reading of the world-famous author. In the end, it is a well-known matter of fact how much the author avoids the public, which is why particular consideration must be given to this focus from everyone involved. As great as Gilbert's anticipation of the upcoming reading by his favorite author might be, in his opinion there could not have been a worse time for the sales manager of the book series to visit. He was over-excited enough about his date with Anne that afternoon. 

_Is it even a date? Or is it just a meeting between acquaintances ?_... No matter what it is or will be, Gilbert was already a bundle of nerves and a visit from a marketing agent was certainly something he wasn't looking forward to. 

His audible sigh resounded through the room as he took another bite from his fluffy pancake, and sipped a sip of the vitamin-rich orange juice from his 'No.1 uncle' cup before saying goodbye to Delphine and Mary with kisses on their foreheads. Bash, on the other hand, was ignored by him, simply because he was tired of his teasing. The younger of the bookstore owners grabbed his messenger bag from the hook in the hallway, swinging it casually over his shoulders before making his way downstairs to the Global and Bookish rooms. As he went down the steps of the wooden staircase, the third and ninth steps of which creaked as he stepped on them, he could still hear the babbling of Bash's Trinidadian accent calling something after him along with a chuckle. 

"I love you too, Blythe!" 

* * *

Global and Bookish, the small bookshop owned by Gilbert Blythe and Sebastian Lacroix is not only a magical place for customers. It is also a location where someone is able to find an escape from reality; literature in which readers can get lost in spaces to which they are permitted to travel without moving their feet. They only need their imagination to explore pages full of endless adventures in the world of books where one can unearth hidden discoveries. Above all, love can be found in the countless printed works on the bookshelves of the cozy shop; the love of written words, printed in black letters on white paper as well as the emotions of all the authors that pour their efforts and adoration for their tales and their precious time into the pages of their novels, wanting to inspire and touch the readers of their works. The written sheets of a book, the thoughts of the characters, and what they carry in their hearts stir emotions, they make book lovers cry and let them suffer with them. Readers rejoice with their heroes and heroines and fall in love with their souls. Sometimes they take refuge in the fictional world because, unlike real people, the protagonists in there cannot break a human heart like a tangible person. At least that was the case for Gilbert, who was always well-read, but only plunged deep into the world of literature after the death of his father, looking for a place where he could escape the real world and his pain at the loss of his beloved dad.

The little bookstore on the corner of Montgomery Avenue, lined with a flower shop and a cute French-run bakery, is probably Gilbert's favorite place in the world, apart from the family apple orchard back in Avonlea, where he spent many hours of his childhood reading under the large apple trees when he was not exploring the haunted woods or the vast landscape of the small town of Prince Edward Island with his French neighbor Jerry Baynard, who was also his best friend back in his childhood days.

When Gilbert entered the bookstore, the customer rooms of Global and Bookish had an odor of the perfume of books, the fragrance of the paper bound in the egg-white tinted pages of freshly printed works that were waiting on the bookshelves to be purchased by all the book lovers of Toronto. He inhaled his favorite fragrance deeply, breathing in the scent made of magic at the time the natural light of the solar core illuminated the rooms of the bookshop in an amber-colored light with golden reflections, shining through the large panes of glass that caught the warm morning light. Gilbert smiled warmly after exhaling the scent of the book pages, loving those days when sunshine surrounds the shop.

The first thing he did that morning was to sift through the newly delivered bookware, which was waiting in the storage room to be sorted into the wooden bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling of the cozy ambiance. The books sold at Global and Bookish are separated into two sections, on the one hand, the nonfiction books and on the other hand, the fiction books, all of which are divided into separate genres. Since the new releases were all already sorted by genre, it didn't take Gilbert much time to put them on the shelves of the still closed shop. It was a familiar routine, after all, Gilbert knows every corner of Global and Bookish inside out.

The first customers were already waiting in front of the main entrance of the bookshop for the opening, blowing their breaths into the palms of their hands in an attempt to warm themselves. Even though the sun shone from a beautiful blue heaven, framed by fluffy white clouds, its balmy rays were not powerful enough to warm the group of book enthusiasts. Through the window panes, Gilbert could see how a petite young woman, who wore a pink bobble hat over golden blond locks, made her way through the group that was standing there in the coldness of this November morning, bumping into some of them as she made her way to the front door. 

The clinking sound of her key ring could be heard as she looked for the key to Global and Bookish's entrance among her many other keys. "Stay here, we'll open in a few minutes." She informed the customers, some of whom were pacing up and down on the spot to brave the cold, while others patiently waited for the moment to enter the heated rooms of their favorite bookshop.

Visibly amused, the co-owner of Global and Bookish watched through the glass of the locked door as his colleague, who is also Moody Spurgeon's girlfriend, searched in vain for the key. Ruby Gillis, however, saw Gilbert amusing himself at her expense, whereupon she suddenly pounded on the door with both of her hands, which were warmed by pink woolen gloves, startling Gilbert for a brief moment.

"Gilbert Blythe, stop laughing at me right now and open the damn door. It's cold out here." She huffed annoyingly, seeing Gilbert stick his tongue out at her.

Gilbert and Ruby met in the second half of their freshman year in high school. Like many other girls at their school, she had a crush on the handsome boy, but he never reciprocated her feelings. Ruby was cute and pretty but never what he was looking for. Shortly before Gilbert got together with Winifred, the blonde managed to persuade him to go on a date, but both of them realized that they weren't a good match and so they remained friends who sometimes act more like brother and sister. 

Ruby, who studies social work at the University of Toronto alongside her work at Global and Bookish, usually works in the bookstore on days when Bash or Gilbert can't work there, be it because of Gilbert's studies or Bash's family obligations. It is important for the bookstore owners that their customers are satisfied with the service, which is why they make sure that at least always two people work one shift.

Gilbert finally decided to unlock the door that leads to the bookshop and watched the customers and Ruby enter the cozy store, carrying the colorful autumn leaves that stuck under their shoes into the rooms of Global and Bookish, where the autumn foliage found a new home on the structure of the gray pile carpet in the salesrooms. 

Ruby stuffed her soft pink bobble hat and gloves into the pockets of her burgundy coat, which she hung on the store cloakroom while she watched people tracing the spines of books with their fingertips, searching for new adventures. She approached Gilbert, seeing him behind the counter where he rummaged through a box with newly published works. "Is it really true that ASC wants to hold a reading here?" Her whisper sounded through the workplace. She didn't even think about greeting Gilbert first, who was about to tag the prices for the new book products. 

He seemed surprised by Ruby's question, evident in the way how the skin of his forehead crinkled. Gilbert was perplexed, simply for the reason that he hadn't told Moody about the whole matter, so he assumed that his best friend and the young woman's boyfriend had either overheard the conversation with Cole Mackenzie two days ago or Bash had informed Ruby about it.

"Hush Ruby, before someone else, will hear you. But yes, ASC wants to promote their new book here. Afterward, there should even be an autograph session, but that's all top secret and it should stay that way." Gilbert shushed the younger one in a whisper tone, looking to his left and right to make sure that nobody heard them. He placed his index finger on his lips to point out that this is a delicate subject that is better discussed in private. 

Hidden in his word was a small threat that Ruby, pretending to be zipping her lips, spotted there. The blonde rolled her eyes but accepted it that way. "Can we at least talk about your date this afternoon? I'm so happy for you. It's all so romantic. Moody and Bash have already told me everything about how you met your Anne."

Panic spread in Gilbert, who, in shock, dropped one of the books that he sorted out for the shelf on which the discounted books can be found. It was never his intention to let so many people know about Anne, but sometimes news spread faster than expected, especially when you have friends like Bash and Moody who are unable to keep their mouths shut. He would love to fold the subject up like a piece of paper and put it in his breast pocket where it is hidden as a secret very close to his heart. It puts so much pressure on him when so many people know about the redhead and his upcoming meeting with her because if the others are already calling Anne his, how should he be able to speak to her without inhibitions, without revealing too much of what is going on in his inner life, the place where all of the confusing emotions are floating around that the encounter with her evoked.

He was already nervous enough, visible in his demeanor that seemed more insecure than usual. "Not you too, Ruby. It's bad enough that the others tease me all the time. And for your information, she's not my Anne. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to get to know her better." He told her, attempting not to show his nervousness which was a hopeless endeavor since the first drops of sweat formed on his forehead, undeniably betraying him. 

Ruby couldn't help but smile. It was a rare sight for her to see him like this and so she had the suspicion that Anne meant more to him than he wanted to admit.

"I don't know Anne, but I would be happy if you found in her what I found in Moody, the person without whom you can no longer imagine your life. Maybe I'm hopelessly romantic, but such things can happen. You can meet the love of your life overnight. For years I thought you were the love of my life and then I literally ran into Moody. Do you remember that? You walked down the hallways of school with him and when I smiled at you I ran into him, I fell to the ground and he helped me to get up. It was so chivalrous of him. You then introduced us to each other and the rest is history." Her speech was accompanied by a dreamy sigh and a spark in her eyes. 

Gilbert forgot all the rage he felt for his best friend, because if Moody is able to wake that glow in Ruby, then it's hard to be mad at him, even if he sometimes gets on Gilbert's nerves with his teasing. The hazel-eyed bookstore owner was about to answer his colleague when an old lady asked him for help looking for a children's book for her grandson that she wanted to give him for Christmas and so he accompanied the lady to the children's book department while Ruby took over the sales counter where a small line of customers had already formed.

The months of November and December are usually the months with the highest sales of the whole year, because with Christmas right around the corner, the shop is always busy at this time. Even if there are e-books to read and audiobooks to listen to in today's highly technical world, tangible books are still very popular with people. They just offer a different reading experience. All the bookworms can run their fingertips over the spine of the book while reading. In their ears, the sound of crackling paper from pages that are turned with one's own hands can get stuck while their nostrils smell the scent of a new book. Reading a book is an intense experience that a person simply has to feel with all their senses in order to recognize the value in it. However, Global and Bookish customers recognize the value of a good book, which is why the small bookstore expects a lot of work, especially in the coming weeks.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for the owner of this bookstore."

In front of Ruby at the counter stood an elegantly dressed young woman with a fair complexion, wearing an expensive-looking sapphire blue autumn coat. Her sleek styled raven black hair was accentuated by a beret of the same color, which made the black shade of her hair stand out.

Ruby's right eyebrow rose, showing a visible curiosity in her expression. "Are you Anne? Oh, I'm so happy to meet you." Ruby knew nothing but the name of Gilbert's crush, even if he doesn't want to admit that it is one, and so she assumed that the young woman who was looking for Gilbert had to be Anne. At least she knew that the two wanted to meet that day, so she was of the opinion that her assumption could not be entirely wrong.

The unknown woman held an indiscernible expression on her face, but she smiled gently at Ruby as she held out her hand to introduce herself. "No, I'm sorry, but my name is not Anne. My name is Diana Barry and I work for Dunlop Publishing House. I think the owner of this establishment is expecting me." 

Diana Barry, the sales manager in charge of the Tragical Romance series written by ASC was secretly annoyed by herself that she didn't write down the names of the owners of Global and Bookish while on the phone with Cole Mackenzie; that would definitely have made things easier.

Ruby glanced around to see if she could find Gilbert anywhere. Her baby blue orbs roamed the aisles of the bookshop where many book-loving customers were in search of new achievements until she noticed dark curly hair and a low whistle in the fiction department where Gilbert stood on a ladder, filling the green-lacquered wooden shelves with new books. The blonde student of social work shifted her attentiveness back to Diana Barry and thought it was a shame that the young woman wasn't Anne, because she was definitely pretty, as Ruby had to admit at that moment. Knowing how she can help Diana, she addressed her words to the raven-haired beauty. "My name is Ruby. Do you see the young man on the ladder? He's one of the owners of Global and Bookish. Sebastian Lacroix, the other of the two, is unfortunately not here today."

Diana's brown eyes followed the direction Ruby was pointing and saw the back of a young man, dressed in tight black jeans and a gray knitted sweater, standing on a ladder with a box of books tucked under the crook of his arm. She had to admit that the rear view of the young man was definitely eye-catching, especially his very fit ass that looked extremely nice in his tight pants. She turned her gaze back to Ruby, wanting to thank her for the help. 

"Thank you for your help, Ruby. Oh and by the way, I love your pink blouse, it fits well with your eyeshadow." Diana nodded politely making her way to the fiction department as she saw how the corners of Ruby's mouth turned up. The blonde bookstore employee had a positive impression of the sales manager, finding her very charming whilst she wondered what it would be like to have her as a friend. 

Gilbert was in the aisle where the Coming of Age novels are to be found when he heard a woman clear her throat behind him, apparently trying to get his attention. "Just a moment please, I'll be finished in a minute." Without looking at the woman standing behind him, he asked for patience so that he could put the rest of the books on the shelf.

"Are you the owner of Global and Bookish?" Diana Barry questioned inquisitively, waiting for the man with what she noticed to be a very melodious voice to finish what he was doing. In the meantime, she looked around the store, making a mental note of the possibilities the premises offer for ASC's reading. Suddenly she heard him descending the ladder, bending down to place the empty box on the floor, which had previously held books such as The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman and The Wish List by Sophia Money-Coutts, which had just arrived at the store. 

He straightened up from his crouched position, turning around to face the woman who he assumed must be the sales manager of Dunlop Publishing House. 

"Yes, I am. My name is Gil-" He tried to introduce himself but was cut off by the woman, standing directly before him. 

"Oh my god, you are Gilbert Blythe"

An audible gasp escaped Diana Barry, whose eyes widened, looking shocked when she looked into familiar hazel eyes. Her left hand covered her mouth, straight raven black hair moving in the paper-smelling air as her head tilted from left to right in disbelief. 

Gilbert's brow furrowed, somewhat confused by the reaction of the woman who looked familiar to him but from whom he didn't know where he'd seen her before. "Yes, as I meant to say before, my name is Gilbert Blythe, co-owner of this beautiful place. That may sound strange, but do we know each other?"

Diana had to giggle. "It's me, Di!... Diana Barry from Avonlea. Do you remember me? Gosh, I never thought I'd see you again. What a small world we live in." 

Wide-eyed and with his mouth agape, he eyed Diana, sort of recognizing the soft features in her round cheeks and the dimples that she had already back then, always forming whenever she smiled. 

"A small world indeed. Goodness, Diana Barry look at you. Where's the little girl I taught to ride a bike?" He flashed her a warm smile, spreading his arms wide open to invite her for a hug. 

The two shared a semi-awkward hug, still not really realizing that they were actually standing in front of each other. 

"The little girl from back then can now not only ride a bike but also a motorcycle. Do you remember Jerry, your best friend at the time who, by the way, still couldn't cope with the fact that you left Avonlea? We were a couple for three years. He persuaded me to get a motorcycle license." She laughed heartily and Gilbert felt like he had found a part of his past again, even though it hurt him to hear that Jerry had problems dealing with his leaving. 

While Jerry Baynard was Gilbert's best childhood friend, Diana was something of a little sister to Gilbert, a girl of whom he has always been very protective in the years. When John Blythe's illness got worse, the Kinncannon's from Alberta, friends of Gilbert's father, asked Gilbert and his cancer suffering dad to come to the western Canadian province, where Mrs. Kinncannon, who was a trained nurse, wanted to take care of the sick man. They accepted the kind offer without further hesitation and left the small island town. There are days when Gilbert regrets not maintaining contact with all the people he left behind in Avonlea, but then the pain of the death of his father reappears, something that is like a blockage in his cerebrum, preventing him from just thinking about the small town of Prince Edward Island. Leaving his life and friends behind was one of the hardest decisions he had to make at the time and it's still an open wound, plagued with an ache that will probably never fade away. All that he still has as rememberings of his joyful boyhood are the memoirs that he has stored in his heart, photographed with the insides of his heart chambers in which the treasure chest is buried that carries all the old sentiments. Along with this, he has the tactile pictures of his childhood, moments captured in black and white on celluloid paper that is kept hidden in his memory box and found a place under his wooden bed, always allowing him to lead him back to the Memory Lane. 

Gilbert had to laugh. The idea of Diana Barry on a motorcycle was absurd. She was always the daughter of wealthy parents, who always made sure that the behavior of their eldest daughter also adapted to the standards of high society. He buried his hands in the pockets of his tight black jeans, directing his attention to his old childhood friend, "Seems like you're a wild thing, Diana Barry. What do your parents say about you riding a motorcycle and that you apparently didn't become a housewife of a rich aristocrat, huh?"

Diana's expression shifted from joyous to annoyed, rolling her brown eyes as she scoffed, "Screw my parents. This is my life and I only have this one life in which I can achieve my dreams and be who I want to be. What I always wanted was freedom, to get out of the golden cage I was held captive in for so long. Funny that the Cuthbert's had to adopt a daughter so that I could understand how trapped I felt at Orchard Slope. She's a free spirit and a kindred spirit as well. She showed me that only one person is in control of my life and that is me."

Gilbert was obviously surprised as he processed what Diana had told him. "Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert adopted a daughter? When was that?" He searched for an answer, raising his eyebrows in confusion during the time he awaited the answer from Diana, never imagining that the Cuthbert siblings would ever adopt a child. 

"It's a long story that unfortunately we don't have enough time for. After all, I'm here for business." The raven-haired sales manager of the Dunlop Publishing House smiled, hooking her left arm in the crook of Gilbert's right arm which made Gilbert chuckle. "So, Mr. Blythe, can we talk over business somewhere undisturbed. I'm sure, you don't want your customers to know that a world-famous author will soon be reading from their newly released work here."

Gilbert just nodded, the dark brownish curls of his mane bobbing up and down in the process, framing his strong jawlines. The questions in his mind roved back to Avonlea, wondering how much the small town on the island on the other side of Canada must have changed in recent years. Whether the haunted woods or all the beautiful meadows, this lush greenery of Avonlea still contains the vibrant, greenish hue with its calming effect, that balmy feeling that feels like a lullaby, whenever someone wants to lose themselves in the beauty of Avonlea's landscapes, composed by mother nature. Gilbert has not been there for so long, having completed this chapter of his life. But he knew that the book in which the pages of his childhood days are written down is dusty buried in the treasure chest of his heart, there in the walls in which all the memories of his happy childhood are kept. For the first time in a very long time, he felt the need to open the pages of the book again, sensing a feeling of homesickness although he had found a new home and life in Toronto. 

Together the two old friends made their way to the back rooms of Global and Bookish, towards the office that Gilbert and Bash share. Diana had meanwhile picked up the notebook that she carried in her elegant black Gucci bag, making some notes for the promotional aspect of the last book of ASC's book series and the organization of their reading.

As they entered the backroom Gilbert sat down on the blue swivel chair at the desk of the small office, gazing at the photos that adorned the wooden table plate; A photo together with Bash, Mary, and Dellie on the girl's first day of kindergarten caught his eye, the smile of Dellie, who had just lost one of her front milk teeth at the time, elicited a smirk on his handsome face. Diana, sitting opposite of him on an uncomfortable chair leaned over the table, wanting to know what made Gilbert grin like a fool. "Who are the people in that photo? They seem to be lovely." 

There was a twinkle in Gilbert's eyes, paired with a melancholy not recognizable for Diana. 

"They are my family." He told her, running the tip of his thumb over the white picture frame when his hazel globes fell on the picture next to the family photo. Mary's and Bash's wedding portrait found his attention, the happiness that both radiate in it, something that never vanished away in the past six years. They didn't look directly at the camera, instead, they were gazing at each other, getting lost in the depths of the love of their lives, obviously saying to each other ' _I finally found you and I will never let you go'_. At that moment a thought occurred to him that made him wonder whether in a few years his wedding picture might stand there on the office desk of Global and Bookish or perchance on a large desk in his own doctor's office. Perhaps it will greet him from the mantelpiece of his own house, the place with a blazing hearth fire, in front of which he wants to write the most touching and emotional chapter of his life with the woman who will hold the key to his heart; a love story full of pages that have yet to be written; with the ink of their hearts blood. In his mind's eye, he already saw the silhouette of a woman, nestling against him, the gentle palm of her hand resting there where all the love he has to give sits; in midst of his left chest, underneath of it the beating crux of his being is hidden that he would like to place into the hands of the love of his life, hoping that he never has to claim it back.

The loud tick-tock noise of the clock on the wall brought Gilbert back to reality. It was now 2 p.m., two hours before his meeting with Anne. During the morning it worked pretty well to put the thought of her in the back of his mind, but the more time passed, the faster his heart started beating; He couldn't wait for the clock to strike 4 pm. 

Diana's brown irises observed him quizzically, seeing his nervousness the second he cleared his throat. She noticed that Gilbert's thoughts weren't quite there, in some way present with his physique but absent with his mind. "We should start the business talk." She suggested, opening her notebook once more in which she had drawn some doodles in the past few minutes. For both of them, the atmosphere in the small office room felt rather strange. It was an unfamiliar feeling to sit across from someone who was once close and who suddenly seemed so far away. They were once friends and this familiarity could still be felt, yet they knew nothing about each other, something that both of them noticed was a mistake made together, for the reason that no one bothered to get in touch with each other again. And even in times of social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, they never took the opportunity to search for their long-lost childhood friend.

"Sounds good to me." Gilbert hummed in agreement and so the business talk with ASC's marketing manager started who happened to be a ghost of his past. 

* * *

It was late when Gilbert left the rooms of Global and Bookish on that Saturday afternoon. He had completely forgotten the time whilst he was discussing the details of the upcoming ASC reading with Diana Barry, the person in charge of the promotion of 'Lost In Your Light'; the third book of the famous novel series written by his favorite author. The small bookstore on Montgomery Avenue definitely met the approval of the sales manager from Dunlop Publishing House as the venue; she even compared the green painted windows of the red brick house with Green Gables and attested that the author of the Tragical romance series will certainly feel at home there. Voiced by Diana, it almost sounded like a fact, a circumstance he couldn't quite grasp even though Gilbert was delighted to hear this. They came to the agreement that Sebastian and Gilbert should get the rare opportunity to meet and above all get to know ASC in the coming days so that they can fully comply with their wishes. While they were talking about Global and Bookish as the venue for the eagerly anticipated event, Diana proposed to discuss the final details with ASC over dinner at the Radisson Blu Downtown Hotel where Cole Mackenzie will also be present seeing that he has the hope that by then the contract documents have also been checked by the attorneys and that the deal can finally be sealed. It was a welcome thought for Gilbert. Since it was known that the author used a pseudonym to publish their works, the younger of the two Global and Bookish owners couldn't wait to get closer to the mystery called ASC and to learn more about the person who wrote his favorite book series, even though he didn't know how open the talks will be. 

As much as he looked forward to the day, his main focus now was to get quickly to Queens Park, where he would like to meet the content of his dreams of the last few days, Anne with an E, the beauty he could not stop thinking about. Since the conversation with Diana had lasted so long, he didn't have time to change. So he put on his red plaid coat as well as his grey scarf and kept his work outfit on; his knitted grey sweater made of soft wool and his tight-fitting black jeans, hoping that Anne will like it anyway. So far he has never shown great interest in the way he looks, but that's different with Anne because he wants to impress her with his all, the things he has to offer visually, but also internally. Until now, nobody has been able to make him doubt his appearance, but the beguiling redhead however was even able to convey things that were buried in his subconscious into his consciousness. 

Moving clouds adorned a blue shaded firmament from which heaven's eye witnessed the goings-ons at the streets of Toronto, trying to breathe its soft yellow beams into the air that carried a crisp cold. Overhead of the individuals walking through the crowded streets, the audible tonal chirping of birds could be heard as they turned their laps in the wind. The branches of the trees rustled, no longer bearing any leaves, instead, the colors of the season met on the cold pathways, dancing in groups to the tune of the wind, which sang in a whisper about the beauty of autumn.

Gilbert was in desperate search of a taxi, perceiving the cool autumn breeze that was palpable floating through the atmosphere. He was standing in between two expensive-looking cars parked at the roadside, squeezed between a black Range Rover and a blue Audi Q8. As he stood there, warmed by his favorite coat, he found himself thinking about how inconvenient it was that Bash and Mary had to go to the zoo with Delphine that day, otherwise he could have taken the car and didn't have to beg to find a way to get to Queens Park. One of his feet was positioned directly on the road while the other was on the curb. Squeezed between the two cars, he straightened up as high as he possibly could, wishing a taxi would stop just when he outstretched his lengthy arms and crossed them above his head, beckoning his hands vehemently, hoping to catch the attention of a cab driver. He was sure that he would be late for his meeting with Anne. Frustrated at having lost track of time, he sent a silent prayer to the heaven's above, praying that Anne could still be found at the meeting point when he finally reached Queens Park.

In the disguise of a middle-aged taxi driver, fortune took fifteen minutes to find the young medical student, spotting Gilbert on the sidewalk of the street. The hazel-eyed young man sighed in relief the second he climbed into the car, sinking into the upholstered black leather seats as the taxi engine restarted and headed for Queens Park. The cab's interior smelled of sweat and cigarette smoke, causing Gilbert to pray that the ride would get him to his destination quickly; lastly, he didn't want his clothes to absorb the unpleasant smells. Trying not to breathe in the odors too much, he made up his mind to call an uber the next time he is in a similar situation, assuming that this will surely save him some inconvenience. It was rush hour on the overflowed streets of Toronto; much to his displeasure, making the taxi ride seem incredibly slow. The whole situation was getting on his nerves when the car got stuck in traffic. Gilbert's annoyance was evident in his expression as he grew impatient by the second. 

"Can you drive a little faster, maybe?" He asked the driver desperately, his back leaned against the upholstered seat the minute he gazed out of the window, watching the hustle and bustle at the packed streets of the metropolis. All he hungered for was to see Anne, to get lost in the aura that surrounded her the day they met for the first time. He craved for a bath in the ocean held by her eyes in which was something breathtaking that rendered him speechless, stealing all his words away. But to dive into the ocean, he first had to get to the place where it can be found.

The driver shot him a look, pointing at the street as he changed the radio station playing in the background of the taxi. Without uttering a word out loud, the taciturn driver moved his lips to Wonderwall by Oasis that was playing on the radio, tapping his fingertips against the steering wheel of the orange taxicab. The cab was near Avenue Road. If Gilbert got out and ran now he could be in Queens Park in about 10 minutes and with that thought in his head, he was doing the first best thing that came to his mind. He paid the cab driver, got out of the orange cab, and started running. 

It wasn't his legs that carried him and that he ran with; his heart that pounded harder against his rib cage with every meter he left behind led him the way, intensifying the rhythm with every step he took because the inner core of his existence knew how much emotions it buried for the destination. 

With only one wish hidden deep within himself, he ran through the streets of Toronto. 

"Please be there."

It took him some minutes until he finally reached the place where he wanted to be. Gilbert gasped when he reached the park, his hands connected to his hips in which he could feel a sharp ache that only found alleviation when his hazel orbs detected the forest nymph among the alley of trees that lined the well-frequented greenery on this beautiful autumn afternoon. Time froze for a moment when he saw Anne sitting on a brown wooden bench, surrounded by the colors of the season, gathered in piles of brightly multicolored leaves that covered the paths of the public park like a warm patchwork blanket; undoubtedly patched up by mother nature who took the needle and thread in her hands to blanket the alleyways of the park garden with all the bright hues she could find in her color palette at this time of year. Hidden behind a large oak tree, Gilbert witnessed Anne gazing at the core in the heaven above. Her beautiful auburn tresses were reflected by the sun, shimmering in shades of gold and copper, moving gently with the breath of the wind. Anne was clearly out of this world, how could she not be? The sight of her silenced him, taking away the oxygen, the exhalation of which was no longer audible in his orbit. Oh, she was a robber, sneakily taking every word his vocabulary once gathered with her as he watched how the November wind brushed her fiery tresses. He was jealous of the wind that was able to blow through her enticing locks, simply for the reason that he wanted to weave his long fingers through the fiery structure of her tendrils, wishing to get tangled up in them to hold Anne where her roots clung to; very close to his heart.

A falling branch from the oak tree brought him out of his trance state, landing on the grass right next to his brown leather boots to which some leaves of the large tree were attached. A soft sigh escaped his lips, which did not know how to form an understandable word in the presence of Anne. The branches and leaves lying on the cold lawn crackled with every step he approached the wooden bank on which she was sitting, dressed in the emerald-green woolen coat that she was wearing on the very first day he met her. The corners of his mouth lifted up as he crept slowly to the throne of the fire-haired goddess, clearly glad that she didn't leave before he even had the chance to get there; to the majestic kingdom that bathed in the perfect light of autumn.

The dictionary of his cerebrum had not yet found all of its words that it contained when Gilbert stood behind the bench on which Anne apparently had not yet noticed that he had arrived. A cool breeze caressed his cheekbones at the same time he leaned slowly over the back of the seat. He didn't know what he was doing when his right hand neared one of her wavy red tresses. The sight of her mesmerized him, leaving him incapable of forming a coherent thought and so without thinking, his hand clasped around the strand of her hair which he pulled gently in a quick agitation. 

"Hi, carrots!" His words came along with a chuckle and a smile that faded in an instant when he saw the reaction of the redhead. 

Startled, Anne jumped up from the bench, her eyes wide open as she grabbed one of the two coffee mugs that she had brought at Starbucks, carrying it all the way from the coffee shop to the park in a coffee cup carry tray, standing next to her at the wooden seat. She just needed one reflexive movement with which she poured the hot liquid into the face of the disturber who obviously compared her to a vegetable. Promptly, stormy blue eyes realized who the person was that was bold enough to insult her in such a childish way. 

"How dare you, Gil?" Anne huffed, seemingly disappointed before she threw the empty coffee mug into the garbage can that was situated next to the bench. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned to walk away from the person who had insulted her hair. The red tresses of her mane have always been the bane of her existence, too red and flashy to not attract the attention of others. She's had to hear a lot of offensive words about the color of it in the past. Some compared her to a witch and others found that the red-suited her impulsive, fiery temper, but until this day no one had the guts to compare her to a vegetable. And that this comparison came from a person who she thought saw something in her that she never really thought she owned; a kind of beauty that cannot be seen with the naked eye, disappointed her immensely. With a feeling of utter disappointment, she trotted away from the place where Gilbert watched motionless as she moved further and further away from him.

Dumbfounded, he stood rooted to the point, feeling the heat of the black coffee sink into the pores of his epidermis, burning him from the outside. That was clearly not how he had imagined the afternoon to be. "What just happened here?" He asked himself, wiping his hand over his face to get rid of the remains of the hot drink, dripping from his strong jawline down on his red plaid coat. When he saw how Anne's long red tendrils fell over her shoulders, bouncing up and down with every step she distanced herself from him and how the shine of her gentle waves accentuated the emerald-green coat that hugged her slightly curvy hips, he finally realized the stupid mistake he made.

"Anne, wait!" He called after her the moment he started running. He had to apologize, even if she never wants to speak to him again. 

She wasn't far away yet, which made it easier for him to catch up with her. "Please wait Anne." He pleaded walking right next to her. Anne however didn't dare to look at him, increasing her pace with her arms still crossed over her chest. Gilbert wasn't ready to give up yet and so he at least tried to explain himself., "I don't know what came over me but you looked so pretty when you sat there on the bench and the sun kissed your hair. I did not want to offend you. It was just the first thing that came to mind. You have to believe me, Anne, please!"

His pleading words and the fear she seemed to discover in his voice, which cracked slightly when he begged her to stay, seemingly reached her and so she slowed her pace until she suddenly turned around and headed for the bench on which the second Starbucks cup was still standing. Gilbert followed her, waiting for her reaction, watching Anne sit down on the bench again, lifting her face towards the heaven above whose golden eye projected a halo above her copper tresses. 

She patted the seat next to her. "Come here and sit with me, Gil. See how the rays of the sun fall down on us. I love days like these when the wind carries a crisp coldness, sweeping through the bare limbs of the trees through which the beams of heaven's eye can caress our skins. It doesn't even have to warm us to give us a little piece of happiness with its yellow rain of light."

Oh, she was an angel, sent to earth to spread light and hope. He was sure of it. 

Gilbert's hands found shelter in the pockets of his black jeans, trying to resist the temptation to trace his fingertips over her freckled complexion. His hazel globes were fixed on her throughout the time he sat down next to her on the cold wooden bench which in that instant felt rather hot under him, like a burning fire that crackled in the atmosphere.

Anne's eyelids were shut, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin. "Isn't it beautiful Gil?" She asked, feeling his close proximity beside her and the warmth his presence radiated. 

"I've never seen anything more beautiful than what my eyes are allowed to see right now. It's a breathtaking view." He replied, sighing, seeing nothing but her beauty. Even if the sun above him called for his attention, it was with Anne all the time, all of him was with the bewitching dryad and the magnetism her whole being held, constantly drawing him to her.

"Do you forgive me for what I said to you, Anne?"

Anne averted her gaze from the sun, wanting to look at Gilbert when she realized that his gaze was on her the whole time. It was the piercing familiarity that his gaze held whenever his eyes are on her. His hazel globes never left her, colliding with her ocean blue eyes at this very moment. The proximity in which they sat to each other surprised her because it didn't feel uncomfortable, instead, it was tinged with a feeling of rightness as if it had to be exactly that way.

"Would I sit here with you otherwise, Gil? You have to admit that it was a stupid comparison but you apologized so I forgive you. You can be glad that I'm at an age where I don't hold grudges anymore. If you'd said that to me 10 years ago, I would most likely never have spoken to you again." 

The sweet sound of Anne's giggles echoed through Queens Park, startling little pigeons that were on the search for food. Gilbert had never heard a more melodic sound than this apart from the timbre of her silky voice that had caught him from the first moment, plagued with that tenderness in it that immediately settled in his heart, being the key to the chest in which all the emotions were kept hidden that overwhelmed him now.

"Oh no, come back" She called after the pigeons, watching how they spread their wings, flying away, to places where they hopefully will find what they're looking for. "I'm sorry, little birdies." 

His heart, which had narrowed for fear of having ruined everything before anything could even begin, whatever it is, loosened the loop in whose grip it was briefly. He inhaled the cold autumn air, relieved that Anne had forgiven him. 

"Thank you for your forgiveness, Anne. That means a lot to me." He thanked her with a bright grin before he added, "Now tell me how did you know that I drink my coffee black." Gilbert was curious, showing her the stains on his favorite jacket, which had dried in the meantime and hopefully can be removed with a wash.

Anne's lips wore a smug smile. "Who said the coffee was for you?"

Gilbert tapped nervously with the fingertips of his right hand against the seat of the wooden bench, with his left hand he scratched the back of his head, a typical behavior whenever he is nervous. "Uh, I assumed it."

Anne hummed, enjoying the hot drink that was leftover, which sank into the cushion of her tongue. With every sip she took, it got warmer in her stomach and when she gazed into the gentleness of hazel eyes something fluttered inside her; hundreds of little butterflies that wanted to get out of the cage in which they were trapped. Anne, on the other hand, wasn't ready to put the key in the hole so that they can open their wings. And so she ignored the feeling that enveloped her whole body. It was too early, far too early to accept what he was doing to her. He knows nothing about her and neither does she know about him. Everything that was going on in her was so illogical and in no way explainable, but it was there; this feeling for him that somehow made her heart beat faster even if everything in her tried to withstand it. The time for surrender had not yet come, the walls that Anne built around her remained steadfast even though they were showing the first cracks. 

Anne nudged Gilbert's right arm with her left elbow. "I'm just kidding. Of course, the coffee was for you. I had the feeling that you are someone who drinks their coffee black. Somehow it suits you." She gave him a smile, the kind of smile that is addicting for which there is no therapy, no rehabilitation would ever be able to relieve the ache that her smile made him feel. It was a craving ache, a longing for more, the burning desire for more of her. 

A cloud that resembled a cotton candy stole the glow of the sun, casting a shadow over the golden ball in the firmament. The wind that blew through Queens Park was accompanied by a cold sea breeze that was transported into the city from Toronto's beach, smelling salty in the nostrils of the city's residents whilst two humans, sitting on a cold bank made of wood got lost in each other's eyes. Gilbert sensed the tickling of the breeze in his nose as he directed his words to Anne whose blue orbs were connected with his hazel ones; four magnetic poles that drew each other closer. 

"What do you mean by that? You said it suits me. In what kind of way?" Anne's statement had clearly piqued his interest. He figured that maybe he could find out what she thought of him.

Anne had to laugh but was ready to share her little psychoanalysis with him, things that she noticed in his behavior and that made the decision easier to see him again, somehow being able to sense that he is one of the people who are worth getting to know. "You seem down-to-earth and I have the feeling of getting to know the real you. You exude a rare authenticity. I can be wrong, but I think that people feel very comfortable around you and I think you are someone that others can rely on. Just a typical black coffee drinker." She shrugged, attempting to enlighten him before she took another sip of her drink. 

Gilbert's lips held a warm smile that radiated his inner joy outward. It was a smile that reached his eyes that reflected the ocean he was staring at. "Do you feel comfortable around me, Anne?"

"Yes!" She breathed softly with some kind of determination audible in her articulation, her exhalation visible in the coldness of this autumn day. "I don't know why, after all, you're a stranger, but I feel comfortable in your presence. That's how I felt when we met for the first time."

There was a crackling in the air that had nothing to do with the cold afternoon. In their inner eyes, Anne and Gilbert saw flames dancing around them, generating the energy that created an undeniable chemistry between the two people who were gazing at each other. It was unlike any other moment because with a single glance they brought themselves to places they had never been before. Anne lost herself in the blaze of his eyes, seeking the kind of warmth she expected there. The fire in his hazel orbs told a story that made her want to read the chapters in which his life is written. She was aware that the story of his life was not over yet and she could hear the whisper of a voice within her, revealing the desire to be part of it. Her beating heart called out to her, telling her the truth, the fact that it was he she wanted to read, the expression in his eyes, and the thoughts of his mind. 

_Does his soul speak the same language as hers? Have dark shadows of the past settled over his heart? What moves him so deeply that he can feel it with everything he has?_

Deep in her, there was this urge to open this book to find out in which colors he had lived his life so far. She longed to know whether he had lived his life in bright colors, a palette of rainbows in which the tip of a brush dipped, and gave the book a colorfulness, telling a fairy tale that is still waiting for a happily ever after. However, that part of her who saw the black stain in the warm fire of his eyes could imagine and was almost certain that some pages were written in black ink, smeared with tears that his heart once cried. And all the author craved for was to run the tips of her fingers over the spine of the book whose pages she wanted to fill with the language of her soul, sharing stories that tell of light and shadow, tears of joy, and drops of sorrow. 

Gilbert's soft voice ran through Anne's ears, breaking the spell he had obviously put on her. "I'm glad to hear that because I feel the same way. I really believe that we were meant to meet." He told her, twisting a red maple leaf between his thumb and forefinger that he had picked up from the ground, trying to keep himself occupied to cover up his nervousness. "Since your psychoanalysis of me hit the mark, I would be interested in what you are drinking?"

The delicate fingers of Anne's hand covered her mouth, which had residue from her hot drink on the corner. She stifled a laugh when she addressed her suggestion to Gilbert. "Try it yourself." With her other hand, she held the mug and held it out to him while she waited for Gilbert to take it, seeing the curious look on his face as he reached out his strong hand to grab the cup in which he was suspecting a sugary drink.

Anne's eyes fell on the hand that somehow not only clutched her mug but also covered her own hand. She saw the strong veins of his grip, visibly sitting beneath the surface that felt incredible, warm against hers. His fingertips caressed her knuckles as if they had done this a thousand times before while his gaze searched for the depths of hers, wanting to capture the moment for as long as possible. The skin-to-skin contact lasted longer than necessary, fingers resting on fingers sharing their warmth.

"Anne!" He breathed, whispering her name that became more and more of a prayer for him, a ray of hope whose existence is made of light and warmth, a firefly that he would like to capture in a jar so that he can always see the glimmer of hope when he is about to lose his own.

The ocean that her eyes held reflected the fire of his and this balmy warmth in them enveloped Anne's whole physique in a cocoon that carried the weight of feelings that could not be named. In the cold they sought fire in the mutual touch of their palms, melting hands together that didn't want to let go of each other. 

"Gil!" Anne tasted his name on her lips which felt like the line of a poem that she wanted to memorize and recite for as long as she could. His name was like a favorite song on her tongue that sticks in her head and can no longer be extracted from it.

Below the hem of Gilbert's jacket sleeve, where part of his arm could be seen, she saw goosebumps stretching over his skin, the same phenomenon that covered hers. Even if she did not yet know the language of his soul, she knew its handwriting, because it could be read on his skin just like hers, writing about feelings that are deeply hidden in both of them. 

The touches were mostly initiated by him until all of a sudden the cushion of her thumb ran over the smooth nail of his. It was so unexpected that Gilbert, shocked by the touch, dropped the mug on the alleyway on which the light brown drink was spreading. 

"I-I-I'm sorry A-a-nne. It wasn't on purpose" Gilbert stuttered awkwardly, shaking his head in an attempt to process the moment they shared a minute ago. 

He had to think of the small moment between Mary and Bash during breakfast this morning. Sebastian had lost his heart to Mary the minute he first laid his eyes on her and Gilbert wondered if it was the same for him as he counted stars, searching for constellations he discovered in the beauty of Anne's complexion.

Anne flashed him a smile, placing her hand on his arm. "It's okay Gil. Now you'll just never know what I was drinking."

"Will you tell me?" He asked, roaming her face, tracing it like a map. He wished he could run his fingertips over her face but instead he did it with his eyes. Knowing how the touch of her fingers felt, he imagined what the rest of her skin might feel like, searching every hill and every valley of her body with his greenish-brown globes. 

For the umpteenth time this afternoon, he lost himself in her. It was like the moment he saw her for the very first time, wandering through a maze from which he did not want to be freed anymore, having found a valuable treasure there that he did not want to share with anyone else at the moment. The depths of her ocean eyes pulled him with them, and with every inch, he drowned in them, he fell deeper for her. 

Anne's answer was short. "Chocolate Cappuccino"

Gilbert had to grin, his attentiveness fixed at her. It was what he expected, a sugary drink with caffeine. "Chocolate cappuccino, huh? I have to say that suits you well. It's not as boring as black coffee. There is more creativity in the selection. You have an extraordinary connection to words so I assume you are creative. You are very sweet but I think you also have a bitter side, after all, we all have one. Just like chocolate cappuccino."

Anne was visibly impressed. In the short time, they knew each other, he had already found some attributes of her personality that shaped her as a person. "Very well, Dr. Gil. That was a very good analysis of my personality for the fact that we have only known each other for a few days." Her laughter reverberated through Queens Park, ricocheting like a boomerang, landing directly in his ears. 

Gilbert chuckled, "I'm not a doctor yet, but I'm actually studying medicine. And it's been four days Anne. We've known each other for four days, although I have the feeling I've known you for half my life." 

It was the first piece of information besides his name that reveals more about what kind of person he is and Anne had to admit that his choice of profession fits what she knew about him so far. "I am sure you will be a wonderful doctor and I know what you mean. I also have the impression that I have known you for more than four days but believe me, it is better that we have only met now, otherwise, I would probably not have forgiven you for the carrots incident so quickly." 

Gilbert was surprised at the sincerity in her words as she said that he'll be a wonderful doctor. The look in her eyes gave it away that she meant what she said. A sound of a mix of snort and laugh came out of his mouth. "Oh please don't remind me I've already said it, but I'm really sorry for my childish behavior."

The medical student was pretty sure that she had forgiven him for his faux pas, but a confirmation of his assumption would let him sleep more peacefully the next night.

"So Anne with an E, what do you dream of?"

Anne sighed and she didn't know how to answer. She couldn't just blurt out the fact that she's already living her dream as a world-famous author who has just published the third book of a famous novel series, climbing the thrones of the most important bestseller lists. 

So she chose a half-truth. "I want to be seen for more than I am."

It was an unusual utterance that contained an ambiguity that Gilbert believed he had discovered. 

"I have the feeling to see you even if I don't know who you really are and someone who can't see what I see in you doesn't deserve their eyesight."

The color of Anne's cheeks started to turn red, blushing from what Gilbert was saying because she knew it was the truth. Every time he looked at her, she felt the piercing of his gaze through her layers, catching a glimpse of the walls she had built around her heart.

She got up from the bench. The white cloud that took the light from the sun had now cleared, casting a heavenly amber light over Anne, whose beguiling red tresses bore a resemblance to the heaven on earth, resembling the apple from the Garden of Eden, the image of the temptation Gilbert tried to resist who didn't have to go without her proximity for long, because she held out her hand urging him to get up. 

"I'm cold, Gil. Let's move a little."

The roughness of his palm found the softness of hers as he complied with her request and got up from the bench, seeing Anne buried her face up to the tip of her nose in her woolen coat, missing the sight of her soft pink lips that always look so inviting whenever they move, fueling the desire in him to taste them. 

He reached for his scarf, which had a gray-red structure made of wool, knitted by Mary, from whom he got it for Christmas two years ago and disconnected it from his throat. He tickled Anne's forehead with the fringe of the shawl, seeking her attention and the collision of blue-gray globes with green-brown ones. "May I?" Gilbert asked her, holding the warming piece of wool above her nape, waiting for her permission to wrap it around her, which she gave him with a nod, her eyes wide open while she was staring into his. "This is my favorite scarf. My sister-in-law knitted it for me."

"So you have siblings?" Anne concluded, being close in Gilbert's proximity, his hands clutching the ends of the knitted fabric that was tightly wrapped around her neck. It was an attempt to keep her in his orbit where he was the satellite that circled her, discovering new planets of her universe. 

"Sort of!"

Anne looked at him in bewilderment, waiting for him to tell her more about himself, which he then did, opening his mouth once more; "Sebastian and I don't share the same blood but in our hearts we are brothers. He, his wife Mary, and their little daughter are the closest thing I have to family." 

The information he shared with her made Anne gasp. That had to mean he was an orphan too, just like her. _What is the probability of finding a person in life who suffered a similar fate?_

"You're an orphan?"

Gilbert's hands left the ends of his scarf, which now warmed Anne. "Yup," was his short answer; His eyes held a melancholy expression, a feeling of missing that Anne knew all too well even though she was never lucky enough to get to know her parents, who were torn from her life far too soon.

"I'm sorry Gil." She shared her sympathy, reading more and more pages of his life that tell of sadness and pain. They seemed to resemble chapters in the book of her life that she was not yet ready to reveal.

Gilbert only nodded as a token of gratitude, his hands buried deep in his pockets while he and Anne walked through the rustling leaves that were gathered on the lawn of Queens Park. For a few minutes, there was a rather uncomfortable silence between the two, which Anne wanted to break. She crouched down, filling her hands with the bright colors of autumn, dousing Gilbert with the autumn foliage that settled on his dark curly mane. Gilbert found it utterly cute to see how Anne tried to cheer him up. She was such a bright light in which he wanted to bathe, like a moth drawn to the flame. 

"Oh, you declared a war, Anne with an E. Okay, you will get that!"

Giggling, Anne ran through the crackling branches and leaves of the tall oak and maple trees, lying on the grass that fenced the park garden followed by a chuckling Gilbert who was ready to shower her divine red tendrils with the season's colors. "No Gil, my hair" Anne tried to protect her head with her hands, which was not very successful as yellowish-orange leaves adorned her fiery waves. She wove her hands through the tendrils of her hair to remove the leaves from there before looking at Gilbert, questioning silently if there were any still lingering there.

A cold draft swept through the area where the two were standing, facing each other in close vicinity, drawn to each other by the magnetism their essence contained. Gilbert's right hand drew nearer to the alluring shimmering red curls of the dryad in front of him. "Allow me!" He sought permission to remove her hair from a yellow oak leaf that had tangled in some strands of it. Anne blinked in approval, which Gilbert returned with a nod before his long delicate fingers weaved through her tendrils, getting burned by the fire that dipped into the imprint of his fingertips. As his hands loitered in the auburn curls, he felt the urge to pull Anne closer, to take in all her being, inhaling her as the oxygen that keeps him alive. Instead, however, she took his breath away, her head tilted slightly to see the blazing fire mirrored by his orbs. From her scalp, his fingers ran to her cheek, gently caressing her cheekbones as he fell lower and lower, falling for her while he was lost in the light he was blinded by. 

The cushion of his thumb felt smooth against Anne's skin, eliciting a smile that danced around pink lips. Gilbert could see it clearly, her aura, the vibrant light as she smiled at him and he asked himself if it was he who made her shine like this, like a lighthouse amongst the seas, sending out hope for him to find the place where he can anchor his heart. It was then that he found the feeling he was looking for in so many other people before, a kind of getting lost that felt like being found. And in this very instant, he knew that his heart had left him to be found by her.

That electric spark between them built a tangible tension, crackling like fireworks on a New Year's Eve, and although Anne was still a mystery to him that seemed difficult to solve, he longed for a New Year's kiss in November. The drum in his left chest pounded in an ecstatic rhythm, drumming a song about the desire he was about to pursue right now, and so he tilted his head to one side as he watered his wanting lips in hopeful preparation for the collision with hers. As his eyelids closed, Annes opened wide, seeing his lips try to unite with hers.

"Don't do it Gil" She whispered, placing her index finger on his lips, which obviously shouldn't be able to taste hers that day. "You'd just regret kissing me in the end." She dared to take a few steps back, building some distance between her and Gilbert, who himself didn't know what had gotten into him. Anne wrapped her arms around her upper body, wanting to warm herself from the autumn cold that was carried with the wind from the southeast. "I think it's better if I go now."

Gilbert's brown leather boats drew a heart in the foliage, his hands that missed the feeling of her freckled complexion found support in his coat pocket when he saw Anne turned to leave. "Please stay Anne. I'm so sorry. I can't tell you what came over me. All I want is to get to know you better because I have this feeling that I met you for a reason I don't know myself yet. " 

Anne stopped on the gray tarred pathway at the edge of which the leaves piled up. She glanced over her shoulder to share her thoughts with Gilbert. "Believe me, it's better this way. It's all too early and too fast. I don't even know your real name."

"I'm Gil-" He tried to tell her his name but was interrupted by a loud scream of a child that echoed through the branches of the park's greenery. 

"No Gil!" She stopped him before she could learn too much, and the illusion that was so very authentic could vanish, collapsing like a house of cards. She wanted, by all means, to knock the needle out of his hands, which was about to burst the bubble in which she felt more comfortable than in any other place before.

"Let's part as Anne and Gil, two strangers who met in the rain." 

It was a suggestion that clearly puzzled Gilbert. At least he was of the assumption that the two are more than two strangers who met in the rain, two souls that are bound by something, an invisible bond that is wound over his heart and hers, and led them to one another.

He protested, "But Anne you can't really mean that." 

Of course, she didn't mean it, but she already stood with one leg in the vortex that pulled her along to get lost in him, losing herself in the way he smiles and the dimple that forms in the process, the tone of his voice that was on the way to becoming her favorite song, and those damn hazel eyes that she hasn't got out of her head since the first time she connected her eyes with them.

Anne sighed loudly, the breath of her exhalation visible to Gilbert from a distance. "I'm sorry Gil, I have to go now."

Everything in Gilbert screamed 'run after her' but he stayed glued to the spot, paralyzed by the fear of losing her because he knew that he had found something in her that he might not find a second time. The only thing he was able to do at the moment was to call after her. "Will you call me? Will I see you again Anne?" 

The redhead turned around one last time, walking backward as she moved further and further away from him. "If we were really meant to meet then we will see each other again. We should let fate decide where it will lead us, towards each other or apart." 

There was a certain feeling of helplessness that he felt there in the midst of the park surrounded by the colors painted by mother nature as he witnessed Anne walk away, taking with her his scarf that warmed the skin of her throat.

This afternoon brought him the knowledge and certainty that his beating core was lost to her, as incomprehensible as it was. His brave heart dared to jump, falling into the unknown, the bottomless where there is no end, no safety net to keep him from the fall that he wished will lead him straight into the soft cushion of her heart.

So all he could do was to stand there in the coldness of this November day, watching Anne disappear into the vastness of Queens Park, and pray that fate would lead her back to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work in English and I hope you like it so far. I would like to hear your thoughts about it. 
> 
> In the next chapter, Gilbert Blythe will finally meet his favorite author. Unexpected circumstances jeopardize the negotiations for the upcoming reading of ASC. Bash and Cole team up as captains of the Shirbert ship.


	5. The Invisible String Of Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert struggles with the fact that Anne hasn't contacted him since he tried to kiss her. At Global and Bookish the Christmas spirit arises, even if not everyone is happy about it and the owners of the bookstore are finally getting to know ASC.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, my dear readers. Here is the new chapter for you guys. Be warned, it's even longer than the last one. Please, let me know how you like it. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> I created a Spotify playlist for my Shirbert AU. Maybe someone is interested in listening
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4a6WPh2UBqXoGu1tNKkjJM?si=co5Gw3SQSemyVMsYvQN_CQ

The golden Canadian autumn with all its components and luminous contrasts slowly morphed into the last season of the year. Days and nights got colder and colder as soon as the wind was accompanied by an icy breeze in which little winter birds flapped their feathery wings, saying goodbye to the rest of their species that spread their feathers and made their way to warmer areas. Wintertime has arrived in the city of Toronto above which the snow queen and ice king were holding their frosty scepters in their hands with which they reigned, sitting on cottony thrones of clouds as they caught sight of the flakes that they sent to the earth, blanketing the metropolitan area with a glittering white layer of snow. The big city was kissed by winter, each of the kisses different and unique, gentle and featherlight falling from the whitest clouds imaginable that hung on an even whiter sky. It was a token of winter's love, small icy fragments, tickling the freezing noses of all the citizens who were walking through a mesmerizing winter wonderland. 

Toronto disappeared overnight under a white coat of powder snow, slowing down the otherwise fast-paced and impulsive megacity. It was as if the beginning of wintertime had hushed the city to give people a moment to themselves, the opportunity to hear their inner voices telling them about all the dreams and desires that weigh their hearts. Every imprint in the snow was visible; the paths left behind by people, leaving a trace and a piece of themselves there in the icy white layer. The crisp sound of crackling snow was hearable in the bitterly cold winter air, reverberating with every step that was placed in the white ground under which the last remnants of autumn rested; brown, wilting leaves that were now covered with the winter's blanket.

Gilbert and his friend Fred had just got off the bus on Duplex Ave not far from Montgomery Avenue, trudging through the freshly fallen snow on their way to Global and Bookish where Gilbert's shift was about to start. Watching the snow fell mildly from the white cushiony clouds, Gilbert recalled the event of last week and how his dark locks had been showered with the last colorful pieces of autumn, the red maple leaves, and the yellow-orange hue of the oak foliage surrounding the in autumn's golden light bathing Queens Park. His remembrance guided him back to all the seasons colors with which the dryad, his redheaded aphrodite blanketed his curly head. All he could think of as the white snowflakes settled on his dark mane, slowly sinking into the structure of his brown locks where they reached their melting point, was Anne and the question of whether she was thinking of him at the same time. Gilbert had not heard from her since the afternoon in Queens Park last week. He hasn't received a word or a single call from her. She didn't leave any text messages or anything else. All she had from him was his phone number and the three first letters of his forename, his nickname, the sound of which, pronounced by her kissable lips, he missed so much. Anne never used the opportunity to contact him and that circumstance pained him because he had the feeling that something connects him and her; the invisible thread of fate that was tied around their hearts, unexpectedly leading him to her. 

He pictured that maybe the universe just wasn't ready to fight to keep her in his life, perhaps chemistry sometimes just isn't enough to hold onto someone who like Gilbert thought, didn't want to be held, at least not by him. Despite all this, he couldn't let the thought of her go. How should he?... She had taken his heart with her that he lost within a single beat to this bewitching beauty, placing it blindly in the soft palms of her hands while he yearned for the tender touch of her delicate fingers, even if they had to loosen their grip on his heart for a moment in order to be able to graze the layer of his skin, below which her name is etched, in bones and veins, his lungs and heart. 

The moment he stomped through the snow with his hands, which were warmed by his brown leather gloves, clasped around the strap of his shoulder bag, he wondered if his name would ever escape her lips anew that he tried to kiss on that fateful November afternoon, obviously having ruined everything just because his rough lips yearned for her two soft cushions when he felt the building tension and all the crackling sparks, inflaming a celestial firework between her and himself while he wished for a New Year's kiss in the middle of November. Anne vanished as if she had never been real, just an illusion of his imagination all the time.

It was as if Anne was the main character of a newly discovered book, in whose lavender-scented pages he was allowed to dare a quick glance before she sealed it with a golden chain lock, afraid that Gilbert might get too interested in the plot of her story from which he was only permitted to get to know a few paragraphs, more than the cover but less than the first chapter. All he could read was a brief introduction to the captivating work of art with the title Anne with an E, a beautiful, lyrical creation with unfathomable depths. His glimpse into the novel he opened, in which he awaited a story full of drama and adventure, did not even take him to the turning point that revealed her full name. Gilbert was forced to close the pale freckled sheets of the published work whose authors created a beauty that Gilbert discerned not only in the cover but also between the lines, resembling the handwriting of his soul. He was certain that this artwork must be a masterpiece, and all he was left with was the hope that it wouldn't have to be closed too long so that it wouldn't even get a chance to get covered by the dusty blanket of days gone by. 

Within a week she became a ghost to him, disappearing and still chasing him wherever his path led him. The sound of her silky voice settled in his ears and the warmth of her smile deep in his stomach where he sensed the agonizing ache of craving, wishing nothing more than to be enveloped once more by the warmth of her holism, her whole essence that left a mark on him, committing theft of his heart that had found a new keeper when it got lost to her, as inexplicable as it was. He tried to understand how it is possible to feel so much for a person he doesn't really know, but in the end, he had to admit that there is simply no plausible explanation for some things, and certainly not for his feelings towards Anne. Behind the cornea of his hazel globes, he saw the gray-bluish hue of her eyes, holding an ocean in the depths of which he dived, finding valuable treasures and the vastness that called for his name, drawing him closer and closer whenever he heard her breathy whisper in the wind. Everywhere he looked he saw her as if Anne had burned herself into his mind with a laser light, reigning over his consciousness that could not think of anything but her. He carried her in his heart, searching for her beautiful face at every place he went. Walking through the wintry streets of Toronto, he might have thought that it was the breath of the frosty wind that opened every pore of his skin on which goosebumps formed, but it was her, the thought of Anne and the feeling of her touch, the softness of her hands that were so warm when his fingers melted with hers, still feeling the imprints of their lines beneath the layer of his fingertips. He could feel Anne with every fiber of his being but he had the impression that he lost her, even if he never had her in the first place. 

Gilbert sighed loudly, releasing his breath back into the wind in an expulsion that was visible to the naked eye, warmth meeting cold that surrounded the air. His friend Fred Wright could see his reaction, walking beside Gilbert who had his nose buried in his red plaid jacket, missing Anne's presence more than the soft warmth of his grayish-red shawl that she took with her when she walked away from him almost a week ago.

  
  


"What's the matter with you, Gil? You've been so quiet all day. You didn't even contribute to Doctor Oak's lecture and you never miss a chance to show the rest of us what a smart ass you are. So what's up?" Fred was concerned about his friend who seemed to be absent with his thoughts. During the lecture held by Dr. Emily Oak, Gilbert could hardly concentrate on what she was trying to teach her students, which Fred found strange, since his friend is usually one of the model students, always raising his hand to take part in the lessons of his favorite professor. 

Cold silvery snowflakes settled on their heads from which the melting liquid slid down to their faces, prickling their due to the cold rather numb feeling visages as they walked along the pathway, which had already been cleared of fresh snow, but was still slippery since more flakes continued to fall from fluffy clouds. Gilbert encased his torso, seeking warmth on this bitterly cold afternoon that was nothing in comparison to the sentiment he had felt in the last few days; the burning desire for the woman who made him feel that he was more than just existing, bringing emotions into the light of day that showed him that he was alive, giving his heart a new rhythm while her aura let the blood flow through his veins so that he could feel the blushing of his cheeks whenever she gazed into the gentleness of his warm hazel orbs. When he went through the moment in which the pillow of her thumb brushed over his, grazing over the smooth surface of his nail, he became aware that his skin is still able to be sensible of the human touch, absorbing her caress that dipped into every cell of his skin. She took his breath away and gave him some at the same time, and he was sure that it was worth the risk of chasing after her tempting lips, even if he couldn't kiss them, held back by her forefinger that burned the curves of his lips anyway. 

"It's nothing," Gilbert replied tersely, mumbling the words with his mouth hidden under his jacket, making it difficult for Fred to understand them. His eyes were transfixed on the snow-covered path, trying to avoid Fred's gaze. Fred, however, knows his friend well enough to sense a lie in his words.

"I've known you long enough to know that you are lying to me. It's the same every time. Each time you have problems you shut yourself off, " remembered the sandy-blond-haired young man, familiar enough with Gilbert's escape mechanism, which always comes into play when his heart or in other cases his ego is damaged. "You don't have to carry the weight on your shoulders alone. That's why you have friends so that you can not only have fun with them but also confide in them. Friends go through the sunny times of life together, as well as through the days when it is dark and the rain falls down on you. So tell me what's going on."

Gilbert looked up at the sky, watching thousands of snowflakes, each uniquely shaped, lay down on the earth, covering the bare tendrils of the deciduous trees and green-needled branches of the fir greenery. He inhaled the fresh, cold air, the coldness of which made his lips tremble just as he opened his mouth, addressing his words to his fellow student and friend.

"Fred, did you read that on the sticky magnet of your fridge again?" For a short moment his chuckle rang through the area, but the sound of it faded instantly. All he wanted was to not think and talk about Anne, that's why he shook his head, trying to get her out of his mind even though he knew it was impossible.

"I really appreciate your attempt to help me, but I don't want to talk about it." He declared without even looking at the young man next to him. She and everything that happened between him and her was his secret, his hands tightly wrapped around it, with which he tried to keep it as safe as possible. What he didn't take into account, however, was that some secrets are revealed through one's own behavior and body language, and Fred knew for sure that Gilbert was hiding something from him.

So he stopped his walk through the snow, grabbing Gilbert's arm to get his attention, which he succeeded when his friend also stopped on the slippery sidewalk, waiting for what Fred had to say. 

"You know that sometimes it helps to talk about your problems and you know very well that I'm a good listener." 

The offer of his friend made Gilbert ponder. Fred Wright has always been a good listener and he is probably the only person in Gilbert's inner circle to whom he can really reveal his emotional life without being teased for it. Fred knows many of Gilbert's secrets, experiences of pain and loneliness that Gilbert has felt since his father's death, and on some occasions still feels.

_What does it matter if another person finds out about Anne?_ With this thought, he began to pour out his heart, to let out everything that had built up in the last few days. He told his friend about the day in the November rain and how he met Anne when he found her umbrella. He confessed that he was pinning a note on Top Pot's Lost and Found board in the hope of finding her again and about the afternoon in Queens Park when he tried to kiss her. He laid everything open, baring his heart and soul, both of which cried silently out for Anne. 

Gilbert's face searched a second time for the warmth of his favorite jacket, warming his cheeks with the soft woolen fabric of the collar of his winter coat after he told Fred the story of how he had met Anne and how he lost his heart to her. 

"It's all so inexplicable and illogical too. How can I fall in love with someone I don't even know? And it's not even her beauty that I fell for. In her, I see something that I have never seen in anyone. She is eloquent, funny and she attracts me in ways that no one has ever attracted me." His words were accompanied by a sigh in which the desperation and incomprehension given his situation could be heard.

They continued their walk in the direction of Global and Bookish, watching the snowfall increase, covering dark brown curls and sandy blond hair, moisturizing it so much that the heaviness was palpable in its structure. Fred, not wearing gloves, blew into his shivering hands, breathing his warm breath into his palm, which was freezing from the cold. His voice trembled as he directed his words to Gilbert who could already see from a distance the red brick house in which it was hopefully warmer than outside on the streets of Toronto. 

"Love at first sight exists. It is rare, but it does exist. Just take Bash and Mary as an example. For them, it was love at first sight when they first saw each other. At least that's what Bash always says. Just because you didn't believe in something before doesn't mean it doesn't actually exist."

Gilbert had to snort, "And that says you, someone who's been single for years." His chuckle didn't last long, quickly turning into a kind of stillness that settled between the two. 

In midst of a brief moment of silence, Gilbert became thoughtful, for the reason that as much as he would like to deny that it was love at first sight for him, he had to admit the undeniable truth that he was already losing a part of himself to Anne when he first heard the sweet tenderness of her voice. Probably it was more like love at a first hearing when she took his heart with her or a first everything, something that never happened to him and broke over him like a wave that buried him and took with it what he had never given anyone, crashing into him, unexpectedly and without warning. He was sure that his feelings towards Anne aren't a possibility with a question mark at the end, but a certainty with an exclamation mark instead, knowing for certain that his beating core was gone and it was impossible for him to put into words how the place felt now where it was beating before. Rooted beneath his left chest was a hollow heart, yearning to be filled with Anne's light and warmth. Everything he lost to her he lost willingly, blindly, and without a doubt, solely because everything in him was ready to surrender to her, even with the risk of not getting back what he sacrificed, a piece of himself, his vulnerability, and most of all his heart. Love, at first sight, may be something he never believed in, but it happened to him and now there was no turning back. 

It was Fred who broke the silence that was slowly beginning to get uncomfortable. He didn't have much experience in love affairs but realized that Gilbert must have fallen deep into waters he would otherwise never dare to enter, called by the siren of the sea. Anne pulled Gilbert under and Fred knew that his friend was drowning in a sea of desire and longing. He wasn't sure whether to advise his friend to stay in the deep or to go back to the safe shoreline, the place where his friend's mind, body, and soul are safe from further harm. 

Fred tried to give his friend some advice anyway, even if he didn't know if it could be helpful or if it would make things worse. "As if you've been in a serious relationship for the past few years!" He started, rolling his eyes before he got serious, "But seriously Gil, you only have two options. You can either forget about her and carry on with your life as before, or you can try to find her again."

Gilbert swallowed. How could Fred make such a suggestion? The least possible thing was to forget Anne, it was too late for that. She had changed far too much when she entered his life. Forgetting about her wasn't an option, but what worried Gilbert most was a whole other question. 

"What if she doesn't want to be found by me?" He asked worriedly, his hands buried in his warm coat pockets while the silence of the newly arrived season could be felt in the winter air. There was something magical about the soft fall of the snow as if it had come out of a fairy tale, telling a story that was just the beginning of something. 

Frozen and shivering from the cold, they finally reached Global and Bookish. Fred stopped Gilbert before the co-owner of the bookstore had the opportunity to enter the heated rooms of the shop. It was with concern when he glanced into his friend's hazel orbs, which were no longer shining, tinged with an emotion that Fred could only describe as desperation. Gilbert's longtime friend wondered when Gilbert had last slept through the night, seeing the dark swollen bags under his eyes. 

He placed his hand on Gilbert's shoulder, which was covered with a glistening white layer of snow. "Then my friend, it is time to let go of her. There are plenty of other fishes in the sea waiting to be caught by someone like you." He pointed out, giving Gilbert a clap on the right shoulder blade before he disappeared into the cozy warmness of Global and Bookish. 

Gilbert had to sigh loudly, following Fred who was greeting Bash with a handshake. "But I don't want anyone else. I just want Anne, the beautiful Anne with an E", was all that he could say, whispering it to himself. 

His whispered words held a wish of which Gilbert wasn't sure that it would ever be granted. He was always a bookish person who read many stories about love and soul mates, the immediate connection between two people who met for the first time, strangely bound to each other with an invisible string that is tightly tied around their souls. Gilbert, however, first had to meet Anne to truly fathom that soulmatism is existing as well as love at first sight. From the very first time he encountered her, he felt the familiarity, the feeling of intimacy between her and himself even though he had never met her before. There was the unprecedented sense of belonging, as if half of his soul was hers, finding the fragment of another soul that speaks the same language like his. His soul search ended on a cold rainy day in November for the reason that he found Anne, the beautiful soul made of the same golden glittering stardust as his own. The escape into the world of books, and all the fictional universes of novels and fairy tales, provided him with the knowledge that sometimes it takes a miracle in order to grant the heart's desires, a twinkling shooting star wrapped in golden hues to which he can whisper his hidden secrets and entrust his greatest desires to the galaxy. All that he was left with was the hope that one day he would see the enchanting dryad again who did more than cross his mind since the moment he met her. She lived there and he couldn't get her out of it. Gilbert had the strange feeling that it was now up to the universe in which he put all his trust, that it unfolds all its power to set all the constellations right. And even if he doesn't believe in fate, he wished nothing more than that it was on his side. Therefore he couldn't help but hope that the stars will align and that fate will be ready to guide him back to her. Every bone in his body craved for the opportunity to see her again, wishing that she wouldn't become just his favorite 'What if'. 

* * *

"Blythe, finally! I've been waiting for you for half an eternity."

A joyful sound, obviously Bash's Trinidadian accent rang through the Global and Bookish corridors the moment Gilbert closed the main door. There was a palpable warmth that surrounded the customer room, quickly melting the snow that Gilbert and Fred were carrying into the store, sticking under their winter boots and clothes. The bookstore was visited by a few book lovers, some of whom sat in the cozy reading corner, using the daylight, which was even brighter thanks to the white, snowy landscape, to read their newly acquired books for the first time, while others paced the aisles, tracing the spines of all the offerings in the bookshelves, still looking for the suitable tales to get lost in.

"It's nice to see you too, Bash," Gilbert sarcastically greeted the elder, who gave him his signature toothy grin. He got rid of his red winter coat, which he was hanging on the coat rack, and ran his hand through his dark curls before he added some more to his previous words, pointing to the large windowpane of the shop. "Look out the window and you'll know why I'm late. Didn't Ruby work the morning shift with you?" 

Bash gazed out the window and saw the white-covered streets and the light snowflakes falling from the heaven above like soft feathers. Toronto was showered with the kisses of winter, accompanied by a wintry breath that told in a whisper of the magic of the new season. He closed his eyes as if he didn’t want to see the snowflakes slowly settle on the pathways and houses bordering Montgomery Avenue. 

"My God, this Canadian winter," He said, hugging himself and rubbing his upper arms as he was starting to freeze just at the thought of the icy cold of the Canadian wintertime. "I swear that I'll never get used to it. You've to know, Blythe… as much as I love my life here, I hate the cold cruel winters. And for your information, Ruby had to leave early because of the weather to get to her class on time." 

As someone who was born in the tropical regions of Trinidad and grew up there, Bash never really enjoyed the cold season. The only good things that come with it are the evenings when Mary has cold feet, asking him to rub them to which he is only too happy to oblige every time she snuggles up to him so that he can lovingly warm them with the palms of his hands. One of the other things he actually loves about the winter is Dellie's enthusiastic joy to see the first snow of the season; the way her eyes light up as soon as the first flakes fall and the way she squints with her chocolate brown globes whenever a snowflake touches her tongue. Instants like this are the beautiful moments that Bash discovered in the winter seasons of the last few years. 

Gilbert, on the other hand, is amused every year by Bash's hatred of winter, that's why he had to smirk, bobbing his head on which his dark curls were about to dry. "Cruel Winter, huh? Maybe Taylor Swift should write a song about it, after all, she wrote one about a cruel summer."

The reply of the young medical student was received with a roll of his eyes from Bash. "You definitely hang out with Ruby too often. She keeps saying of herself that she is the biggest Swiftie on earth." He remarked humorously, laughing heartily as he bent down and pulled a box from behind the counter. "The way you look, you seem much more likely to experience a cruel winter, Blythe." It was not surprising that Bash teased Gilbert because of his mood. Gilbert seemed to be unusually ill-tempered that day. 

It was Gilbert's turn to roll his eyes, raising his left bushy eyebrow. "I'm surprised you even know what a Swiftie is." He ignored Bash's other statement about his external appearance, as so often annoyed by his brother's teasing. 

He and Fred, who seemingly felt well entertained by the banter between Sebastian and his best friend, saw the elder dropping a big cardboard box on the counter plate on which a black label could be seen. 'X-mas decorations' was written on it and as Gilbert noticed it was the very messy handwriting of the person who decided to open his mouth once more. 

"We have to finally start getting the place in the Christmas spirit but the way you look you look more like the Grinch before Cindy Lou and the people of Whoville soften his heart." Bash words were directed to Gilbert, causing Fred to chuckle before he burst into laughter. Sebastian was not entirely wrong, Gilbert's expression held no joy, that grin from a few minutes before faded quickly and now the corners of his mouth drooped while his eyes looked tired and empty.

"But maybe you are more like a second Ebenezer Scrooge" 

The loud booming sound of Fred's and Bash's laughter gave Gilbert a headache. He didn't feel particularly like putting on a fake smile for customers that afternoon, nor did he feel like decorating for the Christmas season. Bash's cheerful demeanor was what Gilbert needed least at that moment. If it had been up to him, he would have loved to go upstairs to hide in his bedroom under the warm, soft covers of his bed and seal off the outside world to wallow in self-pity and lose himself in the memory of Anne, because that was all he had, the beautiful but yet hurtful memory of her, kept in the place where his heart beat, that she took from him. If only he could turn back time, then he could travel back to the moments he had with her, and feel every emotion she evoked in him once more, even if he had to go through the painful moment when she disappeared into the expanse of Queens Park for a second time, the afternoon when she became a ghost, following him every step of the way since then, without seeing her even once. 

Fortunately, he has a friend like Fred who saw that Gilbert wanted to be anywhere but in the Global and Bookish rooms where he had to work that afternoon. He could imagine exactly where his friend would want to be right now, having the impression that Gilbert wished to be at the side of a young woman who bewitched him, the one who pulled Gilbert into depths that seem like a bottomless pit in which he fell deeper with any day that passed. 

"I can help you decorate the shop. I don't have any plans yet." Fred offered, wanting to help Gilbert, who nodded gratefully. It would make his afternoon so much easier if he didn't have to be alone with Bash.

Bash didn't have to be told twice and placed another box of Christmas decorations in Fred's hands. "You're a good man, Fred Wright, a really good man." He told the sandy blond-haired young man, patting his right shoulder before he shifted his gaze to Gilbert. "Blythe, why can't all your friends be like Fred?" 

Gilbert closed his eyes, rubbing his temples, hoping to get rid of his headache. "Why?" He asked the moment he opened his hazel eyes to look at Bash. "You and Moody love to tease me together and you like to talk to Ruby about my love life, which by the way is none of your business. I'm sure that you love my friends. At least you can make fun of me with them whenever you're up for it." His words contained a hint of annoyance just when he pivoted his gaze away from Bash. 

He started rummaging through the box with the decorations that held tons of Christmas ornaments and decor. Glittering stars and snowflakes left glitter particles on his palms, which he annoyedly wiped off on his blue Levi's jeans. The discarded green books, from which a Christmas tree is built every year, were placed a little aggressively on the chair next to him and generally, it looked like Gilbert was taking little pleasure in turning the shop into a Christmas wonderland. While Fred tried to untangle a string of Christmas lights that had become tangled, Bash secretly wondered what had gotten into Gilbert. The behavior that he displayed was so atypical for the otherwise rather relaxed young man. His curiosity increased when he saw how Gilbert tried with all his might to remove cotton scraps from his fingers that were stuck to them and were actually intended as a decoration for the shop window.

"Why are you so grumpy today? Does your bad mood have anything to do with Queen Anne? If I recall correctly, you had a date with her last week, right?" Sebastian's loud voice rang through Gilbert's ears. He was searching for answers while curiosity was written all over his face. His black eyebrow lifted while he waited patiently for an answer that would hopefully explain Gilbert's behavior.

Standing behind Gilbert, Fred shook his head vehemently, wanting to point out to Bash that the subject of Anne is one that it is best not to address right now. He made a 'he'll cut your head off gesture' his outstretched hand placed on his throat while he mouthed a "No" but Bash didn't take much care of it and ignored Fred. He just shrugged his shoulder, dying to know what had happened last week.

Just hearing her name made a rush flow through Gilbert's veins, noticeable by the increase in his heart rate, whispering the same name that Bash had uttered; the beautiful word that had so much hope in it when he first heard it roll from her lips. But it's not just a name to him. For him, Anne is much more a poem, whose lyrical beauty cannot be described with a single word. She's a heavenly composition, an orchestral symphony composed of four simple letters, the forename of the dryad who bears the key to his heart without knowing it, making Gilbert wonder if he would ever have the opportunity to tell her that his heart went into her hands when they took shelter under her umbrella whilst the November rain poured down on them. 

The lips that tried riskily to kiss hers last Saturday escaped a sigh in which not only despair could be heard, but also a certain resignation, which in view of the situation was not surprising, considering that Anne has not contacted him for a week. "She is not my Queen Anne and after last week she probably never will be mine either," Gilbert mumbled under his breath. 

His head was bowed, looking down at the gray carpeting of the shop. His entire posture spoke of doubt and somehow of a type of pain that Bash whose eyes were on Gilbert didn't know if the younger was feeling it physically or more in a psychological way. Gilbert grabbed the pile of green-colored books that were lying on a white wooden chair and headed for the shop window. "Bash can take care of the customers himself." He stubbornly thought to himself, preferring to decorate the shop windows in peace instead of dealing with the wishes of Toronto's book lovers. 

When he went to the window, Bash watched him go. Sebastian's lips wore a knowing smile that said 'caught' because from the beginning it was clear to him that Gilbert's feelings go deeper than he admitted. "I knew it! You have feelings for the mysterious Queen Anne. Tell me what happened last week." He called after Gilbert who pretended not to hear his brother's words. He just wanted to do his task and not talk about Anne. It was enough that he kept thinking about her the whole time. 

"Come on Blythe. Talk to me" Sebastian threw a small brown plastic reindeer ornament at Gilbert, hitting the back of his brother's head. However, the victim of Bash's pestering preferred gestures rather than words and answered him with the outstretched middle finger of his right hand, having the pile of books clutched under his armpit.

Bash's gaze shifted to Fred who didn't want to interfere in Gilbert's life and was even more unwilling to tell Bash what was wrong with his friend, he's just too loyal for that. Due to this Fred raised his hands. "Don't look at me like that. He told me in confidence and I respect that. If he's ready to talk to you about it, he'll come to you." 

Gilbert's friend grabbed a box, tucking it under his left arm to make his way to Gilbert, who was apparently having trouble building a Christmas tree from the books. He stopped halfway once he heard that Bash had something else to say. 

"You know, Fred, right now I wish you were Moody. At least he would have told me what is wrong with Gilbert. Just tell me one thing ... Do I have to worry about Blythe?" Bash, whose words held real concern for Gilbert asked inquiringly. Sure, he enjoys teasing Gilbert whenever the opportunity arises, but first and foremost, Gilbert is a brother to him to whom he cares more than he would admit most of the days.

Fred looked over his shoulder and pondered the best way to answer Bash. Eventually, he chose the truth. "I am not entirely sure. I just know I've never seen him like this before." He just nodded to Bash and then tore his attention away from him, walking to his friend to help him decorate the shop window.

Gilbert was sitting on the gray stiff fabric of the carpet that's laid in every room at Global and Bookish, trying to make that damn Christmas tree out of books. Actually, all he had to do was pile the books on top of each other in a pyramid shape. His hands were shaking, however, for the simple reason that his focus and thoughts were just not there, not being able to set his attention on the task that he might accomplish in his sleep on normal days.

"Fuck!" He cussed desperately, clearly annoyed that his hands, which are supposed to save lives in the future, were so out of control. Every time he wanted to put one book on top of the next, the framework of green books collapsed like a house of cards or the bricks of a Jenga game, spreading over each other on the ground. 

His friend finally joined Gilbert, watching him struggle with the simple piece of work. Fred could guess where Gilbert was with his thoughts and offered to help him, secretly pitying him in a way that a compassionate friend does. After a brief discussion about who should do what, they decided to switch their tasks, for which Gilbert was really grateful to his friend. There are days when he wonders how he even deserves someone like Fred in his life. Even if Moody is his longest and therefore his best friend, Gilbert cannot claim that Fred is less than that, putting both of his friends on the same level. Giving Fred a friendly pat on the back, Gilbert got up and began to hang twinkling stars made of glitter paper and snowflakes made of acrylic in the shop window, something he was more able to do that afternoon. After he placed a white fabric over the gray rug so that all can be removed after the Christmas season, Gilbert blanketed the ground with fluffy cotton wool, symbolizing a snowy landscape, like the view from the window from which his gaze roamed to the snow-covered streets. . Outside, a fresh layer of newly fallen powder snow had formed on the streets of Montgomery Avenue. Children pulled their friends who were sitting on sleighs through the white winter blanket that increasingly covered the streets and sidewalks of the location that fenced Global and Bookish. The kids were visibly enjoying the magical first snow of the season. The view from the window was almost cathartic to Gilbert, like a calming peace that soothed him, affecting his composure when he saw heaven's kisses dance the waltz of winter, pirouetting in the wind that swept the snow on the sidewalks into the air. He took a deep breath, pausing for a moment of calm, testing his mind to unleash any thoughts that were blocking his ability to think clearly.

Fred, wrapping a string of lights around the Christmas tree made of books, shared his attention with what he was doing and Gilbert, seeing his friend's shoulders loosen up and become more relaxed. He kept asking himself a question, not knowing if the time was right to address it to Gilbert but he did it anyway. 

"Gil?" He began, setting a shining golden star as the top of a tree on the top book.

Gilbert hummed. "Hmm?" 

His sandy-blond-haired friend cleared his throat, unsure of what the question would do to Gilbert, he held a serious look the moment he directed his questioning words to his mate who was patiently waiting for him to speak. 

"Uhm, please don't be mad if I ask you this now. I know you don't want to talk about the subject but what can we do to find your Anne, again? I mean there must be something." He longed to know if Gilbert was ready and open to the idea of finding Anne. The hazel-eyed young man transmitted different and contradicting vibes. On the one hand, he seemed to be so determined not to let go of Anne and to do something to find her another time, but on the other hand, he was obviously full of doubt and anxious to face his feelings.

The question he got to hear made Gilbert still for a moment. It took him a few minutes to process his friend's words and collect his own. Every snowflake that settled on the earth could not have produced such a cold shiver that ran over his spine at that very second because of Fred's question. _How is someone supposed to find a person from whom you only have fragments of information and that in a metropolis like Toronto?_ He didn't even know whether she was even from Toronto or whether she was just visiting the city as a tourist. Basically, he didn't know anything except that he longed for more than just to see her again. He wanted to hear the voice that sounded sweet as sugar in his ears, as silky as golden honey rolling off her tongue, spoken by bright pink lips which he thought must taste like sweet candy, maybe like pink cotton candy that is as light and saccharine as he imagined a kiss from her.

It was the thought of her lips that brought him back to reality, knowing that he was already a hair's breadth away from figuring out what her two so tenderly looking cushions taste like. "I scared her away by trying to kiss her." 

His words came along with a heavy sigh just as he was starting to present Christmas themed book classics like A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas and the Snow Queen written by Hans Christian Anderson on a white rocking chair that he had put in the shop window, decorated with a cozy red blanket and small glittering ornaments in the shape of stars and sparkling red snowflakes. He adjusted everything again to make it look inviting before focusing his attentiveness on Fred, who was standing on a ladder to put up a curtain of lights on the window of the small bookstore.

"You know, there was this connection with Anne that I have never felt with anyone before. It just clicked and I was gone. She said that we should let fate decide whether we will see each other again. But tell me, who believes in fate?" He said groaning, getting rid of the accumulated frustration with a loud huffing sigh while in the meantime Fred was hanging the lights. Gilbert was holding the ladder to give him the security so that he wouldn't fall off. His eyes held a dreaming look that led Fred whose gaze was momentarily on his friend to conclude that Gilbert's hazel eyes reflected the ardent desire of their owner. 

Fred clapped his hands happily when his work was done, glad that he could get off the ladder. He is usually afraid of heights, but to help his friend he found the courage to climb the stairs. "Done!" His relieved smile lit the room just as he was watching Gilbert sitting on the part of the gray carpeting that wasn't covered with cotton wool, obviously sort of deep in thought. He could guess about what or rather who Gilbert was thinking. 

With an audible thump, Fred threw himself to Gilbert's side, nudging him in his ribs. "Listen, Gil… You've two options. Either you wait for something to happen or you make it happen yourself. I'm not saying that it will be easy to find her in a city as big as Toronto, but when you've really felt a connection with her, then she must have felt it too, don't you think so?" 

It was there, this connection, that certain something that had a crackling energy, creating a chemistry that he felt in each of his bones. All that happened between Anne and him had an undeniable force, drawing each other to another like two magnets in human skins and he could feel every pull, the drag of her heavy gravity, sitting beneath her eyes and underneath her surface, pulling him deeper into the magnetic field of her being with everything she did. Everything about her knocked the air out of his lungs and made his heart do somersaults. In a blink of an eye, he lost his all to her, his soul and heart got tangled up in hers, the reason for his longing to be closer to her, simply because it felt so right to orbit in her space. The glowing smile that shone brighter than the northern lights and the mystical silvery light of the moon as the knuckles of his hands ran over the delicate layer of her cheek must have meant that she must have felt it too, the inexplicability of their mutual connection. How her grayish-blue globes tried to recognize the depths of his and the way she blushed when his caress grazed her skin must have a deeper meaning but to find out whether he was right in his assumption, he would have to find her again even though this might turn out to be a challenge that is almost impossible to master. 

Sitting on the warming textile of the shop carpet, Gilbert clutched his hands around his bent knees, watching into the void in an attempt to search for answers he could not find. "Easier said than done, my friend." He told Fred, nervously tapping his fingers on his knees. "What do I know about her except that her name is Anne, and that she is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I know that she is funny and that she has a connection with nature and words, but I think these are all things that would not be particularly helpful to find her." _How can someone find one person with so little information?_ The situation was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Finding the one thing that the heart so painfully craves takes more than a handful of fortune. His luck was in the hands of fate and he could only hope that it shuffled the cards in such a way that his wish, which so far only his heart whispered softly, would be heard.

There weren't many customers in the bookstore that afternoon, which was slowly turning into the early evening. Perhaps five people had dared their way through the mass of freshly fallen snow to look for Christmas presents or achievements for themselves. Bash didn't look like he needed any help, so Gilbert and Fred stayed glued on the floor, each with their own thoughts, one of which Fred wanted to share with his friend.

He tore apart a wad of cotton wool, having to do something with his hands throughout the time he opened his mouth, wanting to point out the obvious. "So you do want to find her!" He grinned before he added, "All of the things you are listed are more than I remember from my last date." The comment on his last date sounded mirthful, an obvious attempt to cheer Gilbert up. Unfortunately, to his displeasure, this did not have the hoped-for success and so a silence fell over the two of them, but it was in no way unpleasant. Fred thought about if there was a way to help Gilbert in any way until he had an unconventional idea but in his eyes seemed worth a try.

"I know a sound engineer at a radio station. He is a friend of my brother Jim. Maybe you can make an announcement on their show. Probably you've heard of it before. The show is called 'I miss you' and people look this way for people who have disappeared from their lives in different ways. It could be worth a shot!" It was an unusual suggestion that he made to Gilbert, but unusual situations sometimes require unusual means.

Indeed, it was an uncommon proposal that Gilbert received rather with skepticism. He leaned with his back against the light brown colored wall beside the shop window, closing his eyes shut and really considering Fred's words for a moment until he thought of all the people whose longing for someone they miss must last longer than his own. 

"I haven't seen Anne in a week and while I have to admit I miss her, don't ask me how much, I think I'll turn down the offer. There are people out there who have probably been missing someone for decades, and they deserve the chance to make an announcement on the show much more than I. Besides, what should I say… Hi, my name is Gil and I was so stupid as to fall in love at first sight. The woman of my dreams hasn't contacted me ever since I was so dumb and tried to kiss her, but hey, maybe someone of you knows her...Thank you but no. I can't and won't do that." 

Fred just nodded understandingly. "That's okay, Gil! It was just a suggestion. I think if you were really meant to meet, you will meet again. Have a little faith in the universe. Sometimes it sends signs in the most unexpected ways." 

Gilbert blinked, indicating that he understood what Fred was trying to convey with his words. He was about to thank him when a loud knock on the shop window not only startled him but also the young man sitting next to him whose gaze wandered to the person who was standing waving in front of the pane of glass.

"Whoa, Gil please don't tell me this is Anne?" Fred said quizzically, eyeing the young woman who gave Gilbert a dazzling smile. He noticed how white flakes lay on raven black hair, creating a stark contrast on blackish tresses that were slightly curled. The wintry cold seemed to have flushed her cheeks in a soft reddish hue. Her lips were colored in a shade of dark burgundy red. She was dressed in a baby blue woolen coat and black leather pants. Somehow her appearance reminded Fred of the beauty of Snow White while the rapid pounding in his heart obviously gave him the message that he would like to be the prince, kissing her back to life after she bit the red apple of temptation. 

Gilbert shook his head, dark curls slapping against his forehead. "What? No, I told you that Anne is a pretty redhead. Besides, Anne doesn't know that I'm the co-owner of a bookstore. Therefore, there is very little chance that she would ever find me here. The woman outside is Diana Barry, an old friend from Avonlea whom I haven't seen in years. We met last week but I think she's here for something that has to do with business matters." He couldn't think of any other reason why Diana, who like Gilbert was observing was in the process of making a phone call in the freezing cold, should pay Global and Bookish a visit.

As they could see, the snow fell soundlessly from the feathery cushions in the sky over Toronto, each flake telling a different story that wrote a fairy tale of the magic of winter that covered the big city with its icy kisses, falling exactly into the place where they belong.

Fred also believed he was where he belonged when he saw Diana Barry enter the shop. Even if he thought that the universe had not yet sent a sign for Gilbert, Fred had the feeling that it was at least good to him, sending him a mysteriously beautiful young woman whom he really wanted to get to know.

Diana gave both of the young men a friendly smile, taking off her dark blue leather gloves as she approached Gilbert and Fred, who tilted his head to the left to inconspicuously whisper something to Gilbert. 

"Do you think you can introduce me to her? I just have to get to know her. "

Gilbert replied with a wink, now able to understand why Fred seems to be one of those people who believe in love at first sight. Diana Barry had a bewitching effect on Fred Wright, and Gilbert was more than interested in knowing where Fred's seemingly infatuation was going. 

  
  


"Hi, Diana, nice to see you." Gilbert greeted the Dunlop Publishing House sales manager with a smile plastered on his face and a short hug during the time he pointed the index finger of his right hand at Fred, whom he was introducing to his old childhood friend at that second.

"The young man here next to me is Fred Wright, one of my best friends." 

Their eyes locked instantly and suddenly Gilbert saw how Fred lost himself in Diana's dark brown eyes and Diana in the ice-blue orbs of the one who was staring at her with intent. Their hands, which they shook while introducing themselves, continued to hold on to each other. Nothing but that moment seemed to matter for the two of them right now, and Gilbert who felt momentary forgotten wondered if the passersby who were walking through the damp street of Avenue Road had the same impression of him and Anne, the feeling as if they were bound to each other when they met in the rain of one fateful November afternoon as they were drowning in the depths of the other while the fall of the rain pattered against the green umbrella under which he not only found shelter from the weather but also something or rather someone he never dared to dream of existed; In grayish-blue eyes, Gilbert found everything he ever needed, light, warmth and that feeling of hope that he had found something that was meant for him, the piece of the puzzle that could fill the cracks in his heart, despite some obvious edges fitting perfectly in the place that has never come into the possession of another person. He knew that Anne was by no means perfect, but who is that? She is human with a beauty that others probably never discovered, possibly they did not have enough courage to dare to look for constellations and depths, not wanting to climb the ladder to the stars for fear of falling into her horizonless galaxies, spaces where a black hole can be found that Gilbert discovered behind blue globes, assuming that this is where her vulnerability is rooted, the place that tells of pain and suffering. Perhaps they were too cowardly to plunge into the oceanic depths, fearful of drowning and losing their breath, stolen by all that her being contained. Gilbert had a brave heart that was ready to fall and drown. He reached for stars that he tried to count, wondering if they covered Anne's entire milky complexion. He took one step into the water first, not knowing how deep it is until he decided to dare to discover all her profound sides because everything in him made him believe that it will be worth the effort in the end.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, breaking the moment between Diana and Fred. 

"Uhm, what brings you to us this winter afternoon, Diana?" He asked, seeing Fred shaking his head, probably trying to comprehend what happened the minute before. 

"Uhm ..." Diana started, her hands tightly clasped around her leather gloves the moment her gaze wandered from Fred to Gilbert. She had to think twice about why she was visiting Global and Bookish that afternoon. Her cheeks turned crimson, visibly ashamed that meeting a young man affected her ability to think clearly so much. The strange thing about the whole situation was that Fred wasn't even the sort of guy she would describe as attractive, he seemed rather shy but in a sweet way that she liked.

It took her a moment to think before she finally remembered why she was heading to Montgomery Avenue that snowy afternoon." Ah now I know…There is news that I would like to discuss with you and Sebastian… It is time you met a specific person." 

* * *

Getting through the packed traffic of Toronto in the midst of a prevailing snowstorm is an almost impossible task to be completed successfully, so Diana Barry was late when she entered the luxurious suite of the Radisson Blu Downtown Hotel, situated right on the city's harbor. A light layer of ice had formed on Lake Ontario on that early Friday evening, but it did not cause any problems for the ships and freighters on their way in and out of the port. The shore was now covered with a magical white cover of snow, which in the light of the street lanterns sparkled like silvery crystal diamonds that lit up the coast on the onset of the evening where people, dressed in warm winter clothing, left their footprints in the winter's blanket. A hearable silence lay over the city's snow-covered harbor, comparable to the silence Diana found in the studio suite of the hotel where she had checked in for her stay in the big city.

The raven-haired marketing director had a lot to tell the two people with whom she shared the suite of the four-star hotel. First, there was the invitation to dinner for the Global and Bookish owners that she wanted to tell Cole Mackenzie and Anne Shirley-Cuthbert about, and then there was the young man she met and who strangely piqued her interest though he wasn't the type of man who drew her attention in the past. When she arrived at the rooms of the suite, she couldn't wait to share this story with her two best friends but first, she had to find them.

Slamming the door behind her with a loud bang, she eyed the living area of the suite, which on this approaching evening was only lit by the warming fire of the fireplace, the crackling of which could be heard in the seating area. 

"Anne, Anne are you here" She called out for her bosom friend, standing in the middle of the spacious room, obviously being a little overexcited. Her right hip was propped up by her hand while she tapped her stomach impatiently with her fingers, waiting for a reaction that didn't come.

"Anne!" She called a second time, this time at least three octaves higher, which caused at least one of the three-bedroom doors of the expensive hotel suite to open. Not only the piano lessons she had as a teenager but also the singing lessons from Mrs. Rachel Lynde seemed to pay off when at least Cole crawled out of his room, buttoning a blue silk shirt that highlighted his blue eyes. 

"Bedroom!" He told her nonchalantly, pointing to the room at the end of the hallway while he casually leaned against the white door frame of his bedroom entrance. 

Diana's dark brown eyes widened. She hadn't seen Anne all day, which was more because Anne had barricaded herself in her room with the wish not to see anyone. "Did she even come out of the bedroom while I was gone?" She wanted to know, an expression of curiosity and concern clearly reflected in the way her eyebrows rose and her lips formed a straight line. She saw how Cole shook his head. 

"Nope!" He replied, popping the p of the word. "It's been going on for almost a week now and I don't know what we can do anymore either."

"Did she tell you what happened last Saturday?" Diana asked while she opened the zipper of her baby blue winter coat made of sheep's wool, getting rid of it before she laid it over the back of the velvety lounge sofa on which Cole threw himself, looking at her questioningly in the hope that she would have an idea how to get to Anne. Since last Saturday both of them had seen a change in Anne's behavior that worried them more and more.

Cole jolted his head to the left and right to give Diana an answer. "No, Anne isolates herself completely. I bet it has something to do with the sexy stranger. What's his name again? Uh, I'm so bad at remembering names. I think it was Will or Bill, something like that." Cole uttered before he suddenly straightened up and directed his gaze over the back of the sofa. The loud and unexpected bang of a door echoed through the living area, awakening the attentiveness of the two friends. 

"Gil, his name is Gil, and do you have to be that loud? I get a headache from your loud voices." As if by a miracle, Anne finally emerged from her room, wrapped in her favorite knitted blue blanket that Marilla had made for her, joining Cole on the sofa, who had not expected to see her that day.

Her two best friends had seen little of Anne in the last few days, who merely showed up when there was something business-related to discuss, only to then disappear straight back into her room to try to comprehend the thoughts that were circulating in her head, the question if maybe it was a mistake to banish Gil from her life; the handsome young man with the warm hazel eyes who made the flutters that were held hostage behind her rib cage by her open their colorful wings. All the strange emotions, disguised as tiny butterflies were dancing loudly to the beating rhythm in her chest that the one who Anne met on that damn rainy day in November set like the conductor of an orchestra. The drum in her left chest drummed louder than ever, feeling every pluck at the strings of the harp of her heart that wanted to receive all that he had to give. But her beating core was unable to because the protective walls which were built in the past grew higher the moment he dared the risk and tried kissing her. It was out of the question that he was able to elicit the first flap of wings, which turned into a powerful wave, pounding loudly against her heart walls where a hidden whisper sent her the message that her crux was touched by him but it was all too much for her. Her entire world changed in the blink of an eye when she stumbled into the maze of his hazel orbs. Even though she had the sentiment that she was just a caterpillar without any beautiful colors that was reluctant to reveal all the hues she wore, she had this strange feeling that he could see the beauty in her, breaking the cocoon from which she stepped out as a butterfly who went through a change that scared her. As much as she wished she could fly to end up in his arms, her wings remained clipped like those of a broken angel who has too many secrets and scars to ever experience the feeling of what it feels like to fly. All she knew so far was the feeling of floating on the cloud of success. But all that was just not enough for her. Instead, she wanted to fly at heights that would bring her to cloud nine and for a while, she had the feeling that she had found someone who could bring her to this sphere. Every minute she spent with Gil, her feet were lifting off the ground, but all the ballast she was carrying pulled her back down, reminding her that it is dangerous to give her heart to someone in the second of a single beat. 

The worst was that a small part of her didn't feel worthy of him, not knowing why someone so handsome and kind like him had an obvious interest in her. These were dark thoughts that arose from her past, more precisely due to her time at the foster homes and the orphanage in Halifax, to which she had to return every time a foster family threw her out because they wanted to get rid of her like an annoying pimple on the face. Most of the girls in the orphanage tortured her physically and mentally, letting her know that no one will ever love an ugly orphan like her. The foster homes weren't any better. They were more than gruesome, mostly families with too many children, who didn't get enough love from their parents themselves, and therefore there wasn't any affection left for Anne's innocent soul. The mothers were mostly overworked and let their frustration out on the children and especially on Anne, who often had to take care of the household and also for the little kids, although she was one herself, a scared little girl, that was just looking for a loving home that every child deserves and longs for. Worst of all, however, were the fathers, who were often annoyed by the mass of the children in the houses and drowned their frustration in alcohol, which led to them becoming violent towards their kids and wives. Unfortunately, Anne also had to feel the hard hand of some men. Mr. Hammond was the worst of them all, always wearing a hip flask in his pants that contained the devilish liquid that made him a monster that lost all of his humanity, acting torturous and inhuman in a soul-shattering way. She still bears the scars of his lashes on her back, after all these years lying a bit faded on her milky skin under which the invisible wounds are hidden, which gape open every time a person tries to get closer to her. Mr. Hammond ruined her trust in men. The only three men Anne ever let closer to her were Cole and her adoptive father Matthew, the only two of the three who made it into her heart and then there was her ex-boyfriend Royal Gardner, who turned out to be someone who was never really interested in her, but much more in her talent as a writer, that made lots of big money for his company, using her to his advantage. He was the last one she let into her life and her bed, even if he never reached her heart, yet he left a mark that made her more careful when it came to dating and the male species. Thus, she had nothing else to do but leave Gilbert, the one who already stood in front of the entrance to her crux standing in the afternoon sun of Queens Park, and forget him, even if the last few days have shown her that this is a lot more difficult than she would have liked. All the happenings of the last two weeks only left one question that echoed in her mind, like a scream through an abandoned forest, ricocheting in the complex construct of her cerebrum that could only focus on the subject named Gil.

_How can I forget someone who entered my heart with such a naturalness as if he had always belonged there?_ It was a question that made her despair because no answer could ever explain what had been going on inside her since the day she met him.

Anne sat groaning on the lounge sofa, her red hair disheveled and her eyes looking tired as if she hadn't slept for nights. Diana and Cole looked at each other, having a silent conversation. After a long friendship, they no longer needed words to know that both were thinking the same thing. 

_What happened between Anne and Gil?_

Diana's brown eyebrows lifted as she suddenly got an absurd thought that was far-fetched. _No, that couldn't be possible, there are certainly other people who are called Gil in a city as big as Toronto is._ She remembered that Gil is the nickname Gilbert's father, John Blythe, gave his son when they both lived in Avonlea. Diana used to call him by this nickname when she was still close friends with him. Can it really be possible that her old friend Gilbert Blythe is Anne's mysterious Gil? She had to investigate the matter and so she thought about how she can get more information about the young man her bosom friend met almost fourteen days ago. 

"Anne, do you know what Gilb- I mean Gil does for a living?" Diana searched for information, covering up her almost slip with a smile as she joined Cole and Anne on the comfy beige sofa placed in the middle of the huge living area. 

Although the fire in the fireplace heated the room pleasantly, Anne could not tear herself away from her favorite blanket, which wrapped her slender figure, while she snuggled into the blue wool and wondered why Diana was asking about Gil's job. _Does it matter what profession someone does? Isn't it much more the character that shapes a human, that makes them a person that one either likes or not?_ However, Anne thought at that moment that it might just be the first thing that came to mind for someone like Diana, who grew up in wealth. 

She shrugged her shoulders under the covers, glancing out of the large window panes where she saw the sky appear brighter than usual that evening, which was rather slowly getting darker, whilst the silvery snowflakes fell gently from the heaven above. "Why are you interested in this? He's studying medicine, but do we really have to talk about him?" She directed her words questioningly to her female best friend. In truth, she wanted to forget Gil, but how could she manage that when her friends are pestering her on this subject. No longer wanting to talk about the fascinating young man, and certainly keen not to think about him, she decided to steer the conversation on another topic, to the reason she and her friends came to Toronto in the first place. "Weren't you at that cute bookstore on Montgomery Avenue today? Tell me, is there any news concerning my reading there?" 

Anne didn't see Diana rolling her eyes to Cole, who was mirroring her facial expression. Both have known Anne long enough to know that she wanted to change the topic. Diana, not knowing that Gilbert Blythe was studying medicine, after all, he is the co-owner of a bookstore, assumed Gil had to be someone else, so she did Anne a favor and started telling the author how the conversation with the owners of the cozy bookstore that Anne chose for her reading was.

"I invited Mr. Blythe and Mr. Lacroix, the two owners of Global and Bookish, to dinner. As you already know, the contracts have been checked by all of the lawyers and now the only thing missing is everyone's signature." She informed Anne, waiting for her reaction. She could see her beaming smile that formed on her pale complexion. 

Anne let out a dreamy sigh."Global and Bookish is such a lovely name for a bookstore. When I saw the homepage of the little shop, it was love at first sight for me. Something about it reminds me of home, my dearest Green Gables and Avonlea." She peeked out from the brim of her favorite blanket, which momentarily gave her a piece of home. 

"It's the green lacquered windows. I also thought of Green Gables when I saw Global and Bookish for the first time." Cole added to the conversation, turning his attention to Diana, to whom he had a question. "Diana, sweetheart. Have you already set a date for dinner with the two of them?" He inquired curiously, taking his cell phone out of the shirt pocket of his blue silk shirt to write down the dinner date.

Diana had to gulp, gritting her teeth because she didn't know how to tell her friends what she had to say without them having the urge to strangle her with their bare hands. Her gaze wandered to Anne, whose greyish-blue orbs were already on Diana, whose ivory-colored skin showed small beads of sweat that rolled off her forehead. "Well, you know, that's a really funny story," she began, looking from Anne to Cole, who was gesturing with his hands for her to continue with what she had to tell them. An almost hysterical laugh was released from her lips as she was simultaneously nervously chewing on them. "Uhm, there was this young man with that damn mesmerizing ice-blue eyes. His name is Fred and he's a friend of Mr. Blythe. I've never seen eyes like that and his presence made me kind of nervous when I spoke to Global and Bookish's owners and then at first I forgot why I was there in the first place until it occurred to me and I somehow told them it was time for them to get to know you." She told them rambling, her eyes focused on Anne who listened attentively.

"To get to the point of the story. I've invited them both over here for dinner tonight. Anne, please don't be mad at me, I thought you might feel more comfortable if we have dinner here in the suite instead of the hotel restaurant. I've already called the hotel kitchen. They are preparing a dinner for five to be served here in an hour."

Anne looked visibly shocked with her mouth agape while she apparently tried to process what Diana had just told her. Cole, on the other hand, looked casual as always, wearing a smirk on his lips because he couldn't wait for Anne to meet the handsome Mr. Blythe.

"Wait until you see the attractive Mr. Blythe, then you have every reason to look like you do now. He's so hot and I'm sure that you'll like him. Who knows, you might even fall in love with him." His laughter sounded through the room, he had the guts to wink at her just when he was protecting himself with a fluffy cream-colored pillow. He expected Anne's anger, which at that moment was much more directed towards Diana though he got the author's outstretched middle finger in response.

Anne's expression held a stern look that made Diana think that Anne had clearly copied this from Marilla. Furrow lines formed on the redhead's forehead as she looked angrily at her bosom friend. "Diana Barry, how could you do this without first discussing this with me. You know very well that I always need a few days before such meetings to prepare myself mentally for something like that." 

Of course, Diana knew that, but when she felt the stare of ice-blue eyes on her, her ability to think clearly was taken away. Fred Wright was a confusing young man who did something to her that she couldn't explain to herself. He made the otherwise professional and confident young woman seem so insecure that she reproached herself for allowing this. "I'm sorry Anne, but I don't know how that could happen. I've behaved unprofessionally but we can no longer cancel the bookstore owners at such short notice. Do you think you can join the dinner? If not for me, at least for you and Cole?... We all want to be back in Avonlea by Christmas. The sooner the contracts are signed, the sooner we can go back to PEI. Plus you'll never have to think about Gil again when we're able to leave Toronto"

All Anne's ears could hear was the three-letter name that she wanted to remove from her vocabulary, wishing to forget it and all the feelings the bearer of the name brought out in her. Yes, she was mad at Diana, but she was even angrier at Gil, who not only caused her confusing emotional state but also made her feel like she would miss Toronto when her stay there ends for the reason that it is the city where someone first saw the light in her that she carries in her heart and the dark spot in midst of her ocean blue irises, the mirror of her soul. She sighed in resignation. "Okay! Dinner can take place here if you promise never to mention the name Gil again." Her eyes contained a pleading look just as she held out her hand for Diana whose burgundy-colored lips curved into a grateful smile. 

Although the raven-haired beauty would have loved to know more about what happened between Anne and Gil, business was more important at the moment, and maybe work would be a good distraction from Gil for her best friend. Finally, she took Anne's hand and shook it. "Deal!" Her radiant smile illuminated the room. She wrapped her arms around the back of Anne's neck and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Thank you Anne for doing this. I know that sometimes I can be a cow that doesn't deserve your friendship." Anne's cheek was grazed by a gentle kiss from Diana who could hear the giggle that her bosom friend's mouth escaped.

Anne shook her head, fiery red tresses bouncing up and down. "Nonsense Diana, if there's one person who needs to be grateful, it's me. After all, you and Cole have to endure my constant mood swings and my bullshit. I hope you know that I love you two more than anything. We all know that without you both and Marilla and Matthew I wouldn't be where I'm today. You're not just the best Kindred Spirits I could ever ask for, you're my family and I can't thank the universe enough that it brought both of you to me." She said softly, warmly smiling at her two best friends, who are more than just friends to her, they are part of the family that fate gave her eight years ago and who at some point also became business partners because she knew that she could trust these two people. It was a big step to let them in that she has not taken often in her life but she never regretted that she opened her heart for them. 

"Aww is it the time of the day?" Cole smiled, spreading his arms wide open while he shifted his lengthy torso to the left where Anne was lying on the sofa. Anne nodded, straightening up and winking at Diana. "It's group hug time!" She yelled, enclosing her two best friends in a warm hug. 

Sitting together on the sofa, they held each other tight, grateful for the friendship they had built over the years. A few minutes passed in which only the warmth between them could be felt and the steady rhythm of their breathing. But no moment lasts forever and that's why this sweet instant between the friends had to end as well, as beautiful as it was for each of them. "As much as I love this, I think we should all get ready for our guests." It was Diana who interrupted the moment, receiving a kiss from Cole on her right cheek and from Anne on the left. They nodded in agreement and stood up from the comfy lounge sofa. 

The author intertwined her arm with Diana's, heading for her bedroom at the end of the hallway. "Diana, come with me and help me get dressed. I can't face anyone the way I look right now. I mean, look at me… I look like a scarecrow." She humored in jest, a mirthful smirk dancing on her lips. "You don't know how excited I am to get to know the owners of Global and Bookish. Their bookstore is just that what I imagined for the reading and if the two are like I imagine them to be, then I am sure that we will work well together in the next few weeks." 

Anne was obviously excited and thought that maybe reading at Global and Bookish is the best way to get Gil, and all the confusing feelings he evoked and that have shifted all the unknown emotions within her out of her head. From there, where her feelings were buried, they were suddenly transported to a place where she could sense them with every beat that her heart made. It was no longer that she only thought about the feelings that she otherwise hid, she felt them with a depth and intensity like never before. Anne knew that it was Gil who brought them into the light, where they were no longer hidden under a thick layer of skin that was always very reluctant to accept human contact, afraid of getting too used to the touch. In Gil's vicinity was the fire and the warmth to be found that she longed for all the time and as much as she wanted to be warmed by him and to feel the touch of his lips against hers, the less she could let it happen, held back by the demons of her past, which were crawling out into the light of day and putting an end to everything that happened before anything could even begin when his so delicious seeming lips were on their way to connect with hers. She felt the fireworks and the connection between him as she lost herself in the greenish-brown depths of his eyes and the melodious tune of his voice, in which she found the flame that set her whole being on fire, not knowing that she was his spark in the dark, that was only ignited by the match in her delicate hands. Her heart would have gone up in flames if his lips had brushed hers, she was sure, but far too many negative experiences from her past blew out the fire that flickered inside her as soon as she was near him. The emotional injuries she suffered are the reason she had to forget about him for fear of letting him get so close to her heart that he would gain the power to hurt her. Fear has always been her greatest enemy, preventing the seeds that grew from her core from growing, which were actually only searching for the soil in which they could take root. It may be a mistake she will most likely regret, but she had to leave Gil and all the feelings that had to do with him behind, even if it was going to be tough. Therefore she decided to focus her concentration on why she was in Toronto, promoting Lost In Your Light, the third and final volume of her book series.

Diana grinned, closing Anne's bedroom door where the two wanted to get ready for the important business meeting. "Oh Anne, I'm sure you will love the two owners of Global and Bookish. They are lovely and really uncomplicated people." She told her bosom friend, sitting on the edge of the bathtub in the bathroom belonging to the master bedroom, where Anne was going to take a quick shower. Anne's voice could be heard between the rippling water. "I hope you are right, dearest Diana of Dianas. Because you have to know that I don't want to read in any other bookstore. Global and Bookish strikes me as a unique bookstore with such a lovely charm" 

She ended the shower quickly, pulling her wet tresses that smelled of lavender in a messy ponytail after she wrapped her petite physique in the soft dark green fabric of her bathrobe. Anne made her way to her dresser to choose an outfit for the evening in want of making a good impression on the two men, of whom she only knew the last names so far. Diana and Cole, who as Anne assumed must know the forenames of them, never gave her the opportunity to get to know them as well, but maybe they did give her the names and she had forgotten. After all, her thoughts have often been elsewhere lately.

Now, the preparations for a dinner from which nobody knew what to expect began. Everyone's expectations were high and above all linked with the hope of entering into a harmonious business alliance. All other thoughts that were last buzzing in her head like bees in a beehive, spreading liquid honey on which the thought of Gil got stuck were pushed into the background by her. She was sure she would come back to them because as much as she wanted to deny it, the thought of Gil wouldn't let go of her. However, it was time to center on something else and thus she put on a smile in anticipation of the owners of the cute bookstore on Montgomery Avenue. Oh, she couldn't wait to get to know them.

* * *

"I can't believe we'll get to know ASC in a few minutes."

Sebastian who was already in a fanboy mode stood joined by Gilbert in the elevator of the Radisson Blu Downtown Hotel on the way to the suite in which ASC resided during their stay in the metropolitan city. Both Global and Bookish owners were dressed in their finest evening attire, wanting to look good for the dinner with the famous author. Gilbert was wearing dark grey trousers, combined with a white button-down shirt and a suit jacket in the same color as his pants. To protect himself from the freezing cold outside, he wore an elegant black wool coat that he had borrowed from Fred given that he did not have a jacket suitable for the occasion. Bash wore black pants and a white cashmere sweater that Mary gave him for Christmas last year. An anthracite-colored trench coat that almost reached to his knees gave him warmth on this wintery evening. 

Leaning against the cold silver steel wall of the elevator Gilbert checked his appearance in the mirror of the lift, running his hand through his curly mane the moment he directed his words to Sebastian. "Neither do I. I've asked myself so often who ASC is and what they look like and now I'm about to find out who the person is that wrote my favorite book series." He smiled, seeing his curved mouth in the large reflector while he brushed his hair with his long fingers in order to hold his dark brown curls in place. There was a huge excitement written all over his face. The invitation for the dinner was the best thing that could happen to him that day that so far mostly centered on the thought of a certain redhead. His eyes held a glimmer of hope, wishing for a successful evening albeit he was visibly insecure, checking his outfit for the umpteenth time."Bash, be honest, does the shirt that I'm wearing really match the rest of my outfit?" He asked unsure, unbuttoning his black winter coat to show Bash the white shirt made of cotton wool he was wearing.

Bash had to roll his eyes, holding his hand over his mouth, snickering very amused by the behavior of the younger man beside him. He knew how nervous Gilbert had been all evening, asking Sebastian countless times which shirt would go best with his pants. The funny part for Bash was that all the shirts Gilbert showed his brother were white.

"White goes with everything, Blythe, except you." He teased in an attempt to take Gilbert's nervousness away, which didn't work out, and actually did the opposite when Gilbert stared at him with wide eyes causing Bash to shake his head. "Don't worry Blythe. I'm just kidding but oh my goodness, you are worse than a bride just before her wedding. If you behaved like this on your date with Queen Anne, then I am not surprised that you've been so grumpy for the past few days. I bet you scared her off with your behavior. When it comes to women, you have to be a man and be confident and not be such a nervous wreck as you are right now."

Gilbert winced trying to keep his composure while he sighed heavily. "If that's the case, then it's a good thing that tonight has nothing to do with Anne." He muttered between gritted teeth, burying his clenched right fist into the pocket of his pants. He didn't want to, but he got a little angry with Anne for not contacting him anymore and leaving him with overflowing emotions that had no catch basin to stop all that he felt, letting him drown in the emotions that danced wildly in his mind and heart where the two museums of his memories were located, the places where there was only one work of art displayed, a portrait of a red-haired beauty to be admired by him.

Did Bash have to mention her name again? Gilbert was just about to clear his mind and now all he could see in front of his inner eye was the shine of red tendrils that gently blew in the November wind and ocean blue eyes that reminded him of the high seas that he saw when he traveled the world with the SS Primrose. He wondered what she was doing right now, the dryad out of this world, picturing that she was sitting in front of a heated fireplace wrapped in a soft blanket while she got lost in the world of literature, knowing that she has a special bond with words. At this moment everything he wanted was to run away from the thought of her, even when every part within him screamed for the magic that surrounded her, the fairy dust that glittered in her captivating eyes, bewitching him in a way that he always craved for. Because if an almost kiss with her felt like fireworks, and lit so many more sparks in him than any real kiss with Winifred, how else could he have described what Anne did to him in any other way? She was made of pure magic, the kind of, that he never thought existed, redefining his belief in his own heart that felt in ways it has never felt before. 

The ringing of the elevator that had reached the eighth floor brought Gilbert back to reality and suddenly it was only a few steps that separated him from his favorite author. Bash, who got first out of the elevator, glanced over his shoulder discerning the tense posture of his brother. 

"Nervous?" He questioned, apparently having noticed that Gilbert didn't want to talk about Anne anymore, seeing how he seemingly got more nervous with every step they approached the room door with the golden label on which the number 77 was written.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Gilbert could see the plastered grin on Bash's face and he asked himself how Bash could have been so relaxed about everything when he was about to hyperventilate. "Of course I am nervous. What a stupid question is that? I mean, when does someone get the chance to meet a world-famous writer? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I still can't believe our little bookstore was chosen for their reading. I have to ask them why they chose us."

In all the years that Bash had known Gilbert, he had rarely seen him so jittery. The last time he was anywhere near this nervous was when Mary was in labor and that was almost six years ago. They stood together in front of the white door, behind which was the mystery, which they only knew under the pseudonym ASC and neither of them knew what kind of person they had to expect. 

"77 if that's not a good sign. You know 7 is a lucky number and here we have one for the both of us. Do you believe in luck, Blythe?" Bash addressed his words questioningly to Gilbert who took a last deep breath before he rapped the knuckles of his right hand 3 times against the white wooden door. At that moment he went for invoking superstition by knocking wood three times, hoping it would bring good fortune for the evening.

"We will see. So far I've had little luck in life. I don't know why that should change overnight." 

The only moment he recently believed in luck was the moment when the stormy November wind whispered to him to chase an umbrella that pirouetted through the rainy Avenue Road where he found the green shelter with white dots that belonged to the woman who stole his heart that chose her. It was gone before his conscious mind had a chance to react and he didn't know if he would ever get it back, not that he wanted it, but what sense does it make to lose your heart to someone who ignores you and seeks distance instead of closeness to you? 

The sound of his deep sigh vibrated down the hallway, which was lit by bright yellow lights. A click was audible as the white door that Gilbert and Bash were staring at for a few minutes finally opened and revealed Cole Mackenzie, who smiled at both of them, wearing black jeans and a dark blue double-breasted jacket from which a gray shirt peeked out. 

"Nice that you are here, please come in." He greeted the two of them merrily, gesturing for them to enter the suite where he stood in the middle of the hallway, taking their coats, which he hung on the coat rack. 

Gilbert's gaze followed Cole, seeing something strange on the coat stand where a knitted scarf of gray and red wool was hanging, similar to the one Mary knitted for him and that warmed Anne's throat as she left Queens Park last Saturday, leaving him there with the realization that he had fallen for her, surrendering his heart to her, even though he didn't even know if she wanted to hold it in her hands at all. His scarf was unique, but what he saw was identical to his in every detail. He took a closer look at the gray shawl and was stunned to see that it was indeed his. It had the unmistakable frayed edges and a small hole right at the point where the fabric turned into fringes. The only question was how it got into what he thought was a very expensive hotel suite. Did Anne throw it away and Diana or Cole found it somewhere and took it with them? The questions in his mind were racing while he ran his hand over the soft fabric. He felt the urge to smell it, hoping that it would have the fragrance of her, the sweet scent of lavender that tickled his nostrils the day they met and every moment after that. 

Sebastian was just about to greet Diana when Gilbert heard the raspy sound of a throat clearing behind his back that undoubtedly belonged to Cole. What was really strange when he stood there with his back turned to Cole was the fact that the smell of lavender surrounded the area, smelling more intensely than his scarf could after almost a week, and immediately the itchy feeling in his nostrils was noticeable that brought back the memory of Anne. For the first time in almost seven days, he had the impression that Anne was very close to him. Thus some doubts about his state of mind arose, for the reason that he felt like he was about to lose his mind especially since it couldn't be possible that she was in the same place as him. He was about to exhale deeply, wishing that the beat of his heart would slow down when Cole spoke up. 

"Gilbert, Sebastian, I would like to introduce you to Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, better known as ASC, the author of the Tragical Romance series." 

There wasn't much left of Cole's words that Gilbert was able to process except the name Anne. "No!" He thought, vehemently shaking his head. It can't be the one for whom his heart had forlorn him. He grabbed the end of the scarf that he identified as his, clutching his hands tightly around it as he slowly pulled it off the coat rack. Not daring to turn around, he listened to Sebastian introducing himself, his accent clearly audible echoing through the room, which was actually so spacious, but at this minute felt like a narrow pit in which he had difficulty breathing.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Sebastian. I am Anne. My goodness, your accent is exceptional. May I ask where it comes from?"

The young medical student held his breath involuntarily, forgetting how the functions of his lungs work, which seem to be just as frozen as his entire constitution. There it was now, the voice he longed for and almost painfully missed. The pull that was found in everything Anne was made of was palpable in the air and the entirety of his existence had to fight not to turn around at this second and to get drowned by her presence. He could feel his racing pulse pounding in his carotid artery against the walls of his skin, intensifying the beat of his heart so much that he thought it would stop at any moment. Obviously, he realized now that he had never asked about Anne's profession and he wasn't sure if she would have told him, knowing that ASC would protect her identity with all her might. In retrospect, it made so much sense, it explained her magical connection to words and the extraordinary imagination he discovered in her. But he wondered what kind of game fate was playing with him, hearing in disbelief how her sweet laugh floated through the room and warming his ears, from where it began to melt his freezing rigidity. He would always melt near Anne like snow that is overshadowed by the ray of the sun, which has a power over him that is stronger than anything else.

A loud clacking of high heels against the linoleum floor of the suite approached Gilbert, who knew that it was the sound of Anne's movement, which he remembered in the short time he knew her. How it seemed, she was in a stimulating conversation with Bash, who, as Gilbert noticed, was already warming up to Anne, talking cheerily with the redheaded dryad. 

"Blythe, what's wrong with you? Wouldn't you like to introduce yourself to ASC too?" Bash saw how Gilbert's back was turned to him and Anne, his hands were running in repeated movements over a gray scarf that he directly identified as the one his wife had once knitted for his brother. "I'm sorry, but he's not been doing very well the last few days. If I had to guess, I would say he's lovesick. It has nothing to do with you." He apologized on behalf of Gilbert to Anne, who could only see the back of a tall young man who was very well dressed, and whose dark curls reminded her of the person who still refused to go out of her mind. She gave Bash a warm smile, expressing her words to him while her gaze was fixed on the back of Mr. Blythe. "Don't worry Sebastian, matters close to the heart are a lot more important than me. Our heart knows no pauses, when it feels, then deep and sometimes it runs so deep that it makes us forget everything else." 

Tired hazel eyes were closed as Gilbert inhaled deeply, wishing that the ground would open up under him and swallow him whole. Oh, if Anne only knew which name is deeply anchored in his heart .... And why does Bash always have to open his mouth so wide that things escape him that firstly have nothing to do with himself and secondly other people don't need to know? He exhaled the oxygen he had previously sucked in with his trembling lips and counted to three in his head. The situation was a bit like the moment he first met her, only that he now knew what indescribable beauty he could expect if he turned around and then he did it, he was spinning in a 90-degree axis and his eyes did what was to be expected from the gravity in them. They collided with the blue ocean in which a storm was emerging, not able to believe that they gazed into the warmth of greenish-brown hazel orbs. 

The corners of his mouth turned up, smiling rather shyly at Anne. "Hi, Anne! Looks like fate gave me the answer to the question if we would ever meet again. It's really good to see you."

Anne looked stunning, clad in a green velvet mid-length dress that hugged her curves and hills that he traced with his gaze, wishing to get the permission to discover them with the touch of his fingers, feeling the desire to leave hundreds of kisses on her milky complexion. Fiery red tendrils fell in waves over her shoulders while her blue eyes seemed even brighter than they usually do thanks to bronze eyeshadow that let the ocean in her eyes stand out. Immediately, he felt the lump in his throat forming, preventing him from breathing and rendering him speechless in her aura. Although he was standing in the middle of the room, he was gone, getting carried away by the invisible thread that binds her to him in a way that was perceptible from head to toe and whose pull was undeniable.

All that could be heard in the room was silence in which, however, there was a crackling tension that was not visible to the naked eye but was all the more palpable. Gilbert and Anne stared at each other, not only stealing each other's words but with all the intensity that this moment had, also that of the other people in the room, who themselves didn't really know what was happening.

"What is happening here right now?" Diana whispered to Cole, who just like Bash witnessed how the two people, whose eyes stumbled into the depths of the other, could not tear themselves away from the other's gaze. It was as if a web had spread over both of them in which they were entangled, making it impossible for them to escape the spell that they cast over the other one. Cole, who never separated his gaze from Anne and Gilbert shifted a bit to the left where Diana was standing, tilting his head so that he could reply to her in a whisper as well. "I have no idea, Diana, but I said that she would like him, just that I didn't know she would like him so much that it is almost hypnotic what goes on between the two of them, as if they were somehow attracting each other magnetically. Do you think we should do something?" He asked his raven-haired friend, seeing Gilbert fiddling with the scarf Anne came back to the hotel with last Saturday, concluding that the gray piece of wool must belong to Gil, the attractive stranger she met in Queens Park that afternoon.

Cole felt an imaginary click in his head, and all of a sudden everything made sense, the splendid chin, the note on the Lost and Found board of the little coffee shop that he found on the exact day he met Sebastian and Gilbert there, and the intense gaze of hazel eyes that Anne told him about were helping him now to solve the riddle. "Oh my God!" He let out a gasp, covering his mouth with his right hand in disbelief even though it finally made so much sense.

"What's wrong Cole?" Diana wanted to know, pondering who is going to win the staring contest between Anne and Gilbert, for whom everything around them apparently disappeared, staying in their own little bubble that nobody dared to burst at the moment. Cole's expression showed a wide grin that resembled a Cheshire Cat. "I connected the dots." He was visibly proud of himself, nudging Diana's elbow. She looked questioningly at him, tearing her gaze away from the spectacle that was going on in the middle of the suite to wait for him to explain what he meant by his words. 

Meanwhile, Bash looked confused, wondering what he was doing there and especially what was going on with Gilbert, who was just as unable to say anything as Anne. It suddenly occurred to him that the author of the Tragical romance series is called Anne in truth, so she has the same first name as the person who was responsible for Gilbert's bad mood in the last few days.

"You're Queen Anne!" It burst out of him. He didn't want to ruin the moment between the two but curiosity got the best out of him or how Gilbert thought momentarily, the worst. 

"And you're Gil, Anne's sexy stranger." Cole shared a knowing look with Bash before he winked at Anne, who briefly shook her head, no longer being able to understand the world just as she was in the process to grasp every word and feeling that suddenly bombarded her. Her heart beat so loud that she was afraid the others would hear. Gil was there and he wasn't imagined, he was real, his smile, the warmth of his eyes that covered her petite figure like a warm blanket, everything about him was real and he looked so damn good. His smile never faded, shining brighter than the sun ever could and Anne realized that it was an honest joy, a feeling she had awakened in him, having the power to ignite that beautiful smile that she craved to see for the last few days. 

"Gil!" She breathed, desiring to calm her nerves, but it didn't work when she saw his name pronounced from her lips, causing tiny goosebumps on his wrist, where she saw a strong vein through which the blood ran that made his heart beat faster. Her words caused the wings of his heart to spread wide open, making it fly to heights he can only reach with her, up to the moon from which he wanted to lay her the world at her feet. 

"Anne!" His lips were unable to lose more than her whispered name. The wheels in his head were spinning at slow speed, preventing him from having a clear thought that he could translate into understandable words.

Again, he had found her without looking for her this time. His gaze was directed to the large panes of glass that offered a breathtaking view of Toronto's illuminated harbor. The sky over the city was dark but thousands of stars danced in it, while the reflection of the moon in Lake Ontario could be admired in which snowflakes settled like drops in the ocean. The stars had aligned and he had the intense feeling that everything he thought was over would only really begin in that one moment. Finally, the power of the universe gave him the answer that the encounter with her was not a coincidence, but something predetermined that fate determined for both of them. It arranged an opportunity he didn't know how to deal with. Everything came so unexpectedly and in no way predictable, but maybe it's just the way fate works, secretly and without notice, pulling the strings to make the magic of the moment something special.

Anne stood rooted in her place, overwhelmed by the avalanche of emotion that was about to bury her and take the air out of her lungs that had to work hard to keep her up. She had the feeling that he fit into her heart so perfectly, but she just couldn't let him into her life. He revolutionized her life that only knew a before and after him but the whole moment was too much; to see him, to smell the scent of his perfume that somehow scented like something warm, the feeling of home that awaited her in his arms that she wanted to run into, but didn't, thwarted by the shadows that lay on her soul. All of it was way too much and all she wanted was to breathe and feel the wind on her face that hopefully would be able to clear her mind. 

"Air, I need some fresh air." She said in a halting voice, turning around and running to the white sliding door of the balcony, which she opened with trembling hands and then stepped into the cold evening, leaving the rest stunned into the living area of the suite. 

Gilbert shook his head, not realizing what had happened before Bash's voice rang in his ears. "Go after her, Blythe." His brother ordered, who had the feeling that this evening would not only be the beginning of a business relationship but also of something big for which there was no name yet.

Bash didn't have to say that twice to the younger of the two, and so Gilbert followed Anne, not really knowing what to say to her, but sometimes it is enough to just listen. That's what he thought anyway. 

Diana, Cole, and Sebastian, who were still in the process of understanding the whole situation, saw Gilbert close the sliding door behind him and disappear into the darkness of the balcony. "The dinner will be interesting later. I can't believe Gilbert is actually Anne's Gil." Cole babbled, taking a sip of the champagne he urgently needed after everything that had happened.

He wasn't the only one who needed some liquid, so Diana and Sebastian sat down on the lounge sofa and poured themselves champagne. "What name do we give the ship? I mean, we all agree that the two are made for each other, right?" Bash was curious. He knew for sure that the others had seen the spark between Gilbert and Anne. They must have seen it, as obvious as it was.

Diana smiled broadly. "What do you think about Shirbert?" 

Cole almost choked on his drink. "Damn Diana, that's perfect." He wiped some champagne from the corner of his mouth and turned his attention to Sebastian, waiting to see what he thought of Diana's proposal.

"I agree. Shirbert sounds fitting," came Bash's reply, his expression showing his toothy grin. "And we are all the captains of this ship. We should toast to that."

So they did, toasting the budding romance they suspected between Gilbert and Anne while wondering what was going on on the balcony where the icy white snow was falling gently on the ground. 

It was bitterly cold that evening and everyone hoped that what they could see between Anne and Gilbert, that undeniable connection and the crackling chemistry that everyone was feeling as they saw how they got lost in the maze of their eyes, could spark enough flames to keep each other warm in the cold of that late November evening in which Anne and Gilbert stood, who were now faced with the decision in which way they wanted to go the further path together, because one thing was clear, their ways would not part that quickly. The only noise that could be heard in the suite was the clinking sound of champagne glasses and the scorching wood of the fireplace that heated the room while outside the snow fell on dark brown curls and fiery red tendrils, two snow-covered heads standing a short distance from each other where a silence settled between them. 

They were overwhelmed by all the feelings that were hidden in the depths of their hearts where they were buried under a layer of pain and suffering, desiring to see the light and to get caught in it, knowing that there was hidden hope in the gaze of the other that is able to turn off the darkness that overshadowed their souls. Gilbert felt ready to let the light in, but he had the feeling that the key to the door to her heart was stuck and she was therefore not ready to receive all that he had to give. While he was standing in the snow, he had only one wish. He wanted to be the one who melted the blocks of ice that had piled up in front of the entrance to her core, but the evening had only just begun and so he could not do anything but wait until she would open up to him. At least he had time, he would wait for her forever if he had to, he was sure of that when silvery snowflakes lay on her outstretched tongue eliciting the prettiest smile he had ever seen. Now that the universe and fate were apparently on his side, only the timing just had to be right, because isn't it all you need besides the chemistry between two people to get as close as every part of the body longs for? Gilbert's question was written in the stars that lit up an evening that was far from over. This evening was just the beginning of something colossal, something groundbreaking that neither of them knew what it was and how it would end. Taking one last look at the stars, Gilbert shifted his attention to Anne and sighed. 

"Anne, I think we should talk. So you're ASC, huh?"

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Anne and Gilbert will communicate and we'll see what will happen at dinner!


	6. Melting Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of Shirbert in this chapter. They communicate and the contract for ASC's / Anne's reading at Global and Bookish is signed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my dear readers. Here is the new chapter. In the last one I said that Anne will meet Mary and Delphine in this chapter, but that won't happen until the next one. The chapter is almost 13k words and it would have been too long otherwise. I hope this is okay with you. Enjoy reading and let me know your thoughts on this one!

Thousands of stars sheathed in golden glistening hues waltzed in slow elegant motions around the marvelous orb of the night, hanging in the dark vault of the heaven above. It was a mystical evening with a bitter chill attached to it, yet there was a certain feeling of magic in the air that cast a spell over the metropolitan city of Toronto. The glowing light of the night sky threw a warm gleam over the city, reflected by Lake Ontario, whose mirroring surface was kissed by winter as well as the entire metropolis, which greeted the arrival of the cold season with freezing hands. It was Mother Nature who descended feathery kisses from invisible cushions down to earth, white ice crystals sparkled in the natural glow of the silver moonlight and the glitter of golden stars as if they were the dust of a celestial fairy that blew crystals full of magic from the sparkly firmament to the earthly sphere to enchant the individuals on this winter evening. 

Standing in the freezing cold, Gilbert Blythe was visibly enchanted, not by the magic of winter, but by the person who stood next to him on the balcony of the hotel suite, where he found her so unexpectedly. His words from a few minutes earlier were still rotating in Anne's snow-covered head, where she was trying to put the letters together that could explain everything. But she knew that there was no logical explanation for everything that had happened not only this evening but in all the time that she now knew him. The expulsion of her breath was clearly visible as she opened her mouth, which she immediately closed again, not knowing how to answer Gilbert, whose gaze was not fixed on the beauty of the moon but her. Instead of admiring the light of the night's heavenly body, his hazel eyes could not tear themselves away from the beauty that would shine more radiantly than the moon ever could in any room she entered. Anne blinded him with the luminosity that she not only radiated from the outside but also from within and all he wanted in this instant was to count her orange freckles instead of the golden stars overhead of him. 

"I-" She stammered suddenly, her lips shivering from the cold. What answer did he expect? She had to think about what to say for a moment before her questioning words echoed through the icy air that surrounded Toronto's harbor. "Did you know who I am? I mean did you know I was ASC all the time?" She inquired but didn't dare look at him, being afraid of losing herself in his orbs again if she would give in to the magnetic force she felt. It was impossible for her to let that happen at this moment because she knew that one look would be enough to melt all the icebergs that mountain up at the entrance of her heart. What if he knew who she really was all this time and was only looking for her closeness so as to bask not in her light but in that of her success, just as Roy once did? The mistrust raised by the experiences of bygone days made her doubt, even if the rational part in her conveyed the message to her that all the doubts are unfounded. Her heart was sure that it could trust him, only her mind could not believe it, waging war against everything that wanted to grant him entry into the fragility of her being. 

Although Anne could not see it, Gilbert shook his head, clearing dark curls of snow, on which new flakes lay immediately. "No, of course not. ASC has been a mystery to me so far, just like you, but I'm slowly starting to understand why." 

Crunching footsteps in the snow lying on the balcony floor were hearable as he took a few steps towards Anne, witnessing how she rubbed her in the green velvety fabric of her beautiful dress wrapped upper arms in an attempt to warm herself. The scarf, which he took with him as he stormed out of the suite was clutched tightly in his hands and found a new owner in Anne when he gently placed it over her slender shoulders. 

"Take it, it is not much but it will at least warm you up a little." His words were a whisper, in a breath hitting the back of her head where her pores open from the feeling of his airy whisper against her skin. 

Anne resisted looking at him albeit she desired to drown in the greenish-brown hue of his globes. "Thank you!" She whispered back, noticing the lingering touch of his hand on her shoulder while her gaze was directed to the silvery crux of the moon. 

They were warm his hands, touching her shoulders, which suddenly twitched as they felt the electric shock of his fingertips shot through her body. She was certain that the shiver that ran down her spine had nothing to do with the cold. He caused it with the warmth she wished to be warmed by. This touch was enough to just ignite everything in her, to set her heart on fire, for nothing he would ever do will ever be enough. Not just her heart, but every fiber and each of her bones strides for more since everything he does felt so damn good and right all the time. And although everything he did, dipped into the depths of her skin to the place where her emotions gathered that wanted to be lived out, she couldn't grant her feelings the exit, simply for fear that the depths of her emotions would one day become the depths of her wounds. She couldn't risk the hurt because she already had countless agonizing wounds, some lying visibly on her skin and others hidden in the walls of her beating core.

Her cold hands, longing for the warm touch of his, reached for the balustrade of the balcony. She had to give them something to do, so she grabbed the cold metal instead of reaching for his palms."Now tell me Gil or should I call you Gilbert? What makes you think that I'm a mystery? Yes, I am an author and I write under a pseudonym, but apart from that you don't know anything about me, absolutely nothing!" The last part came huffing from her mouth, containing a coldness that Gilbert didn't know Anne possessed.

Anne was cold as ice to him, not because she wanted it, but because she had to. Knowing that he's the co-owner of the bookstore she is supposed to read, only made things even more complicated. She wanted, no, she needed distance from him, because the closer she got to him, the more he could glance into her soul and see all the walls she built to protect herself. The author had to put on a poker face, hide feelings that grew with everything he did. Her fingertips, listening to the whisper of her heart, wanted to reach for him, being able to feel that his hands were the right ones, but under no circumstances could she allow herself to melt in them. 

The snow continued to fall incessantly from the night sky, covering dark curls and fiery red tendrils on which they reached their melting point. Gilbert's hands found shelter in the depths of his pants. He looked at Anne in disbelief. How could she claim that he would know nothing about her when he had found the dark spot behind her corneas that led into the garden of her soul?

He inhaled the cold wintry air deeply, feeling the fresh crisp in it before he exhaled it slowly back into the darkness of this evening. "No, please call me Gil." He started, watching her transfixed gaze on the moon. Something inside him told him that she was trying to avoid looking at him but for the moment he could deal with it. At least she didn't run away from him. "I just have a feeling that you are trying to run away from something. But as someone who knows what pain feels like, let me tell you that as long as you don't face it, it will always catch up with you." 

Anne discovered that his utterance held not only an earnestness but also a truth that she did not want to admit to herself. How dare he read her so well after such a short time? She gathered up all her courage and averted her gaze from the starry sky to look at him, seeing that his gaze that she could feel on her skin with an intense feeling never left her. 

"What are you? A psychologist who has made it his business to analyze everything I do and say? You're only saying all this because I didn't want to kiss you last week. Is that your punishment for that?"

As her cold words hit him, she leaned her back against the cold metal balustrade, her arms crossed over her chest and her head bowed. Gilbert winced, surprised by what his ears had to hear. Did she really think so little of him to think like that?

"Didn't you want to kiss me or couldn't you?" His question was bold, but it has been floating in the foreground of his mind for almost a week and he just had to get rid of it. Gilbert's expression held no smile, nothing just a questioning look in search of answers.

Ocean blue orbs searched for the warmth of hazel eyes and although her words had been rather cold so far, her eyes spoke a different language. "Does that make a difference?" She wanted to know, her words were spoken in an almost whisper while her soft voice was about to crack.

Gilbert took a few steps towards Anne until he was right in front of her and could see every star of her complexion illuminated by the fascinating silvery shimmer of the moon. He was stargazing and watching into the vastness of an ocean at the same time, tracing her pretty face with his intense gaze. Mesmerized hazel orbs saw this look in grey-blueish depths, which was rather tender, and told him what was really going on inside her, revealing that he must be patient until she has fought what is hindering her from falling into his arms. All the cold words that escaped her lips before were instantly forgotten. They could not prevent him from holding her in his heart until she will be ready, to fall into strong arms that held the desire to tell her, 'You are safe with me.' Just because he wanted to give her time, it didn't mean that he wouldn't do everything in his power to show her that there was no reason for her to face him with fear, wanting to hold her fragile heart as if it were made from the world's most breakable porcelain. Shards will not be caused by him, he promised himself at that moment, when a feather-light flake lay down on her eyelashes, making the pretty eyes blink, which expressed all that her insides were incapable of.

His deep sigh hit the winter air. The decision to be honest with the beautiful redhead was made by him before he shared his thoughts with her. He had to let her know what her abrupt leaving last Saturday had done to him.

"Yes, it makes a difference to me, quite a big one in fact. In the last few days, I've felt like the biggest fool because I thought I scared you off with my boldness, but the longer I think about it, I think you ran away not from me, but from what you felt in the moment. I know It was wrong of me, but I don't regret trying to kiss someone like you and I never will. Because it was you, Anne. I wanted to kiss you right then and there, just because everything feels so damn right when I'm with you." He told her the moment his hands found the fringes of his scarf, which hung over her shoulders but didn't cover her throat. From his hands, his attention fell back to Anne, whose eyes which held an ocean widened. The proximity to him transmitted warmth, and when he took the end of her scarf and slowly wrapped it around her throat, it was impossible for her to hide the blushing of her cheeks. He smiled and the sight alone was enough to crack the first cracks in the ice that blocked the way into her heart. 

"I don't want you to catch a cold!" He exhaled while his fingertips ran over the softness of his shawl. The strong urge to want to touch her suddenly became too much for him and so he placed his warm hand on her cold cheek, seeing deep into her eyes, in which the same fire shone as in his. It was a little act of caring, but for her, it was more, the glow of a candle with the glimmer of hope in it, on which she almost burned herself as she wanted to lean into his touch to receive the warmth that she found in him

Silence lay over them both. The coldness of Anne's cheeks faded, warmed by the hands that did their best to get used to the feel of her cheekbones which as he noticed were chiseled to perfection by her makers. Both of them lacked the words they were stealing from each other, staring into eyes that displayed emotions that expressed more than any word could ever say, saying 'I feel it too.' 

Anne's hand gently reached for his, which was resting on her right cheek, for a brief moment consuming the lines of his fingers and the mounds of his knuckles, the feel of his skin as if it were a high-inducing drug. To get herself down from the cloud on which his touch was lifting her, she let his hand fall to his side, seeking rehabilitation even if she wanted to continue floating in spheres she had never reached before. 

Some minutes passed before she finally found her ability to speak. Everything he did and said was so confusing to her and she had to let him know. "Uh, you are so confusing. What does that mean, someone like me?" She asked, enclosing her torso with her arms just as she became a witness of how Gilbert fumbled with the fringes of the scarf as if he were doing it on purpose to keep her in his close proximity.

A strong gust of wind came up, carrying the falling snow that penetrated their bodies with its icy breeze. Gilbert didn't know how long he would be able to stay outside, but he was more worried about Anne, hoping that she won't get sick after being exposed to the cold for so long. His trembling lips opened, wanting to tell her nothing but the truth. 

"Believe it or not Anne, you are the most beautiful and fascinating woman I have ever met and from the moment I saw you for the first time, no, the moment I heard your voice for the first time, there was one inexplicable feeling of a connection that I just have no words for, and I think you felt it too. Please tell me you felt it too, Anne."

The desire to move arose in Anne, and not just to warm herself. She needed space to breathe and to fathom what Gilbert had just said and so she took a few steps to the side, fleeing from his piercing gaze, which scorched like hot lava into the layers of her skin. In the past few days, Anne often felt the urge to dial Gilbert's phone number to explain herself, to unburden to him that he had done nothing wrong when he took the risk and tried to put his lips on hers. She wanted so much to tell him that the reason was the fear of being hurt that made her distance herself from him. Within a few days, he filled the vacancy in her heart, not just with the way he smiled at her or the warmth of his hazel eyes. It was rather the feeling that he transported, a certain lightness in which there was a heaviness that could be felt, creeping into her heart that became heavier with every minute that she spent with him. The heaviness carried emotions that felt like a brick falling into the depths of the sea, sinking into the cushiony chambers of her heart where they weighed, with such a weight that it made it difficult for her to heave them to the surface. The feelings that lurked there filled her heart to the brim, and only keeping a distance from him could save it from bursting, not because the feelings were unwelcome, but because they were exactly what her heart was always crying out for. Her heart's screams were silenced by her, unable to pursue the need for all that he has to offer because the black spot on her soul uttered a message, warning that the scars of her past were still gaping.

And so it happened that she buried her feelings, unable to reveal that she perceived the connection, even though everything that her existence was made of felt the chemistry that set off fireworks every time he was in her presence. Ignoring his words about the impression she made on him, she shifted her attention to the large window panes. She glanced into the fire-lit living area of the suite where Diana, Cole, and Sebastian were seemingly engaged in a lively conversation. A heavy sigh escaped from her freezing lips, containing all the desperation that weighed on her shoulders. 

"I don't know what you're trying to imply, but whatever you think to have felt between us is a picture of your imagination. Look, we are apparently forced to work together for the next few weeks. Global and Bookish is such a lovely bookstore, and as much I'd like to throw overboard all my plans to read there, I can't do it, it wouldn't be fair of me." She informed him, averting his eyes that held an incredulous expression. The next few weeks, surrounded by his presence, would be guaranteed to be tough, she was aware of that, but a retraction was out of the question for her.

The warmth of his breath hit his palms as he tried to keep his hands, which are rarely cold, warm. He wished a puff of his breath on her face would melt the cold tone in her words, assuming for sure that her words were nothing but lies. She must have felt what was budding between him and her, the closeness and intimacy even though they had never met before. He heard the alarm bells in his head, not only because she appeared to be almost unwilling to hold the reading, but also because something told him that her life was not only painted in the colors of the rainbow he discovered the day she entered his world. She also wears dark shades of gray and black and everything in him wanted to take away the painful baggage that makes her so vulnerable. 

Gilbert saw Anne pacing up and down, probably wanting to keep herself warm or, as he thought, wanting to keep moving to avoid his gaze and his nearness. "Is it because of me? Don't you want to read there because of me?" His presumption left his mouth attached with a certain kind of pain. Although he knew she didn't mean any of that, her words hit him deeper than he expected.

"Yes!" 

Her answer, so brief and decisive, made him shudder. With her back turned to him, he could not see her desperate expression and that single tear that left the corner of her left eye, rolling down her cheek, until it finally settled tastefully salty on her freezing lips that for a brief moment were warmed by the warmth of the liquid pearl. No longer being able to see how Anne tried everything to stay away from him, it was he who took a few steps towards her, standing directly behind her and immediately feeling the warmth her body gave off. 

She wanted so badly to lean back, let herself fall into his arms, which seemed so strong and protective to her. This honesty and authenticity that he possesses quickly made him her weakness, in which she suspected so much strength if only she could only take the step to surrender to it. Heartbreaks are nothing new to her, as much pain as her fragile heart has already suffered, she was familiar with the power of agony the heart is able to endure. But letting him break her heart would probably trigger a pain that was of a magnitude that would just be almost unbearable for her. Still, she wondered if his strong hands would be able to hold the soft construct of her being without breaking it or dropping it through the gaps between his fingers, where it could break apart on the cold ground where it would land. 

His hands suddenly rested on her shoulders, his fingertips running over the woolly structure of his scarf, which was not thick enough to not let Anne feel the fire in the lines of his fingers. "Anne!" He breathed heavily, the soft timbre of his voice was almost enough to melt her insides. "Am I really so terrible that you have to keep running from me?"

Anne was gazing at the moon, opening the palm of her left hand on which soft snowflakes settled, melting there. The tone of her tender voice was surprisingly warm when she addressed her words to Gilbert, whose fingers were still lingering on her shoulders.

"It's not you I'm running away from. I'm complicated, just like my whole life story, and I have to deal with things properly and process them before I can focus my attention on new things. It's hard for me to let people get close to me. That is also the reason why I write under a pseudonym. Maybe someday I'll be ready to tell you about it. You just have to understand, Gil, that I need time. I have to see that I can trust someone. Only then can I reveal my vulnerable side and let people in. Besides, what do I know about you?"

He always touches her, he doesn't need his hands for that and that's why she owed him to loosen her reservation towards him a bit, even if it was just a crack in the gate to the garden of her soul, feeling that he had already seen more than she ever revealed.

Anne couldn't see it, but the corners of Gilbert's mouth lifted, smiling in relief because what she was ready to confide in him obviously doesn't just seem like a big step for her. It also felt like a milestone in terms of what was between him and her, the relationship that was forming without a name to describe it. She opened up and that was what he needed to keep the hope alive that she felt the same way he felt. 

The red-haired author, who in Gilbert's vicinity no longer felt the winter cold that swept through the area with an icy breeze inhaled the chill air, a moment later exhaling all the pent-up emotions that weighed so heavily on her soul. With the soft fabric of the end of his greyish red scarf, she dried her tears, which secretly ran down her cheeks, invisible to Gilbert whose gaze and hands rested palpable on her. This conversation and all the closeness to him was just too intense for Anne not to lose her composure.

All the magnetism in him, drawn by her gravity, could no longer bear to be separated from the blue beauty of her eyes, so he gently grabbed her shoulders, and turned her toward him, colliding with the ocean that was met with the fire that everything her eyes contained could never extinguish. Instead of blowing out the flickering blaze in his hazel orbs, the look in her eyes was the kerosene that ignited the flames in his even more. 

He gazed so tenderly into her eyes, smiling with such a softness at her that it made her knees weak. She had to hold onto something, clutching the metal balustrade of the balcony anew on which a glittering white layer of snow lay. "Don't worry, Anne. I understand you and I have all the time in the world. Now that we're slowly starting to get to know each other, you won't get rid of me anytime soon." He tried to reassure her, winking at her but at the same time giving her a trustworthy smile that told her that he genuinely meant what he had said. 

"I don't know what or who hurt you so badly in your life, but I want you to believe me when I tell you that you don't deserve any of it. I may not have known you for a long time, but I know you are exceptional, talented, kind-hearted, and beautiful inside and out, and whoever has hurt you is not worth being part of your life. Indeed, you don't know much about me, but it's more than I know about you. It would make me so happy, Anne, if you would give me the chance to get to know you better, just as I would like to give you the opportunity to get to know me better. Maybe then you will find out that I'm actually not that bad at all"

In the middle of her emotional chaos, he appeared and said something like that. Her feet lifted off the ground simply because she felt she was not only seen but also understood. His smile, that incredibly bright and hopeful smile of this handsome guy might not change the world, but it changed hers. For her, none of the falling snowflakes was as unique as the young man in whose eyes she gazed. All she wanted was to cling to him, hold him tight so that he could not be carried away like the feathery flakes that the wind swept through the air. 

Gilbert was able to see a change in her. Her expression softened and he had the sentiment that there was something that broke inside her, he didn't know what it was, but he hoped it was the ice that his words were about to melt.

Anne's hands let go of the balustrade, already knowing where to rest. She took a few steps closer to Gilbert, whose dark curls with the snow that sat on them looked even more attractive to her than usual. She wondered how it would feel to weave her delicate fingers through the structure of his curls. Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought, shocking Gilbert as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him into a warm embrace that not only she needed at the moment, but he too.

"Thank you, Gil. I'm so sorry for the way I talked to you. Do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me?"

It was the first hug they shared, surrounded by the falling feathery kisses of winter that had the same magic as this embrace that immediately paralyzed Gilbert. He never really believed in fate or magic, but this experience with Anne awakened his belief in something that the eye cannot see but the heart can feel even more. The snowflakes whirled in the wind, pirouetting around him and her and covering them with the winter's blanket that felt warmer than expected but maybe it was just the warmth of their bodies that they shared, melting the cold of winter whose token of love fell deeper, as did he for her. 

When he noticed the heaving of her chest, lying close to his, he knew that he wanted to feel her breath for as long as possible. He has never been as close to her as in this moment, which made it possible for him to feel the curves, hills, and valleys of her body, pressed against his flesh and he did not know how to react to this sudden closeness. So he enclosed her with his trembling hands, placing them on her upper back through which his fingertips felt the booming rhythmic vibration of her heart the moment he squeezed her back, wanting to hold onto her as long as she allowed.

"Always Anne, I will always forgive you no matter what you do." 

He accepted her apology and took a moment to inhale the lavender scent of her hair, which settled into his nostrils and became his favorite scent some time ago, discovering that it is even more lovely scented than the odor of books he loves so much. They held each other tight until Anne buried her face in his chest and burst into giggles. 

"Did you just smell my hair?"

Her giggles were a heavenly sound, making Gilbert chuckle who was seemingly relieved that the conversation that held such a heaviness at the beginning slowly morphed into a feeling of ease. "What can I say? Your hair just smells good. The scent of your pretty hair reminds me of the lavender fields in Avonlea. Somehow they smell like home."

Anne didn't say anything. She lifted her head from his chest where she heard the racing of his heart, wondering if it was she who made it beat so loudly. Did she write the lyrics to the rhythm that was so strong and sang a song that was a serenade for her?

"You're from Avonlea?" She inquired questioningly, loosening the grip of the back of his neck. Her hands were now resting on his shoulders while her eyes were locked with his, seeing a hurtful expression in his hazel orbs, a type of melancholy that pierced her heart instantly. That was the moment when she realized that he too had his wounds, remembering that he told her about being an orphan just like her. 

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it.-"

"No!" Gilbert cut her off, taking a deep breath in the process to gather his thoughts. "It's okay Anne but I'm surprised that Diana didn't tell you anything. We were good friends back in my Avonlea days." He sighed loudly before he continued with what he had to tell her. "I was born in Alberta but grew up in Avonlea until I was 13. I never got to know my mother. She died when I was born. For a long time, I thought it was my fault. I will probably always feel guilty about it, even if my father never blamed me for her death. Anyway, when my father was diagnosed with lung cancer we went back to Alberta, where he died 9 months later."

Anne held her breath. How can a person who has suffered so much pain open his heart so willingly and let her in? He was able to do what she couldn't, trusting her with his vulnerability. She knew that he must be braver than her and recognized the sign of his trust and so she pulled him into her arms a second time, giving him a hug that not only expressed compassion but understanding.

"I'm so sorry Gil. I don't know what to say. Thank you for trusting me with this." She expressed her sympathy. "I-I I'm an orphan too. My life before I was adopted by the Cuthbert's cannot exactly be described as a happy childhood. But this is not about me, it's about you. I never met my parents and I can't imagine how it must feel to lose a person whose voice and laugh and especially whose love you knew." Anne swallowed, noticing her eyes filling with tears that she couldn't stop from rolling down her cheeks.

Gilbert's right hand let go of her back, finding a new place on her cheek from which he wiped the liquid pearls that ran down from there with his thumb. "Hey, pretty girl there is no reason to ruin your make-up because of me. I actually know Marilla and Matthew pretty well. The house where Global and Bookish is located and where I live with Sebastian, Mary, and Dellie reminded me of Green Gables when I bought it with Bash. Jerry Baynard, who was a farm helper on Green Gables at the time, was my best friend. I wonder if he's still working there."

Her blue eyes rounded, looking wide-eyed into the warmness of his hazel orbs. She knew that the topic of Avonlea must have many painful memories for him and yet he was ready to talk to her about the small town on Prince Edward Island to cheer her up, which he also succeeded in doing. Where did this young man come from and why did she only meet him now? Had fate taken a different path then she might have met him so much sooner.

Anne shook her head, unable to believe that she had found someone in a metropolis like Toronto who is not only familiar with Avonlea, but also with the people who are closest to her. "You know my family? Jerry still works at Green Gables. He's like a brother to me although I have to admit that I've had the urge to strangle him with my bare hands many times." She laughed lightly, rubbing the tears from her eyes with the knuckles of her hands. 

They continued to stand nearby, smiling at each other until suddenly a strong windblast came from the direction of the port, lashing their faces with a bitterly icy cold. "How about we go in and talk more. I can tell you about Jerry, Matthew, and Marilla and we can get to know each other a little better during dinner, but of course only if you want to. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want." Gilbert suggested, already heading to the sliding door of the balcony that led into the living area of the suite. 

"Yes, that's a fantastic idea. I have to get out of the cold before I look like Frosty the snowman." Anne replied in agreement, weaving her right hand through her snow-covered waves, wanting to get rid of the white layer during the time her liberating laughter echoed across the balcony, which was somewhat illuminated by the light from the suite's living room and otherwise only by the sparkling glimmer of twinkling golden stars and the silver ray of the mystical full moon, casting the area in an enchanting glow in which the power of whatever that was between Anne and Gilbert was mirrored, the light of two torches that were on the path, albeit rocky, to kindle a fire, the first flames of which were already blazing.

"Are you sure that you don't mean Carrots the snow woman? One thing I can tell you, you are by far the cutest snow woman of all snow women that the winter can create. At least you can't melt like the others." Gilbert joked humorously, surveying Anne who just looked too pretty with all the snowflakes in her hair. His words were an attempt to maintain the serenity and lightness of the moment. He saw and heard Anne's snickering reaction, at first not sure if the comment that included the C-word would make her mad but the opposite was the case, he must have done something right, because, on her cheeks, the most beautiful redness was visible he was ever allowed to see, and he was almost 100 percent sure that his words initiated her pretty blush. What he didn't know at the moment was that she could melt, simply by his warm words, his smile, and that voice that ran like hot wax over her spine, warming her in places that missed the touch of his fingertips.

Despite the fact that Anne was just about to truly get to know Gilbert, she knew that he was different from any other man. The pages of his life that he gave her a glimpse of, written in black ink, were smeared with the tears he wept. And despite the pain, and the darkness that apparently lay like a black cloud over him for a while, she had the impression that Gilbert accepted the shadow on his soul and the pain that accompanied it, something she was previously unable to do, preferring to fight the demons, instead of opposing them with an acceptance and thus muting them until they find their voice again, knowing that they can't be silenced forever. 

She did not yet have the courage to allow him to take a step into her heart, but she wanted to get to know him because her soul has never communicated with another in the way it did with his. And if she couldn't give him yet her all, she wished that small pieces of her being would be enough for him for the time being, small stones of mosaics that put together a picture that, with a little time, she might be ready to reveal for him, because the whisper of her heart reached her consciousness, breathing softly, that if she allows it, he can become a person for her, with whom she can feel safe enough to be vulnerable.

She trudged over to him, being careful not to slip on the snowy area of the balcony, and hooked her arm into the crook of his. "Lead the way, Mr. Blythe." She giggled, looking up to see the warm glimmer in his eyes. 

Gilbert was only too happy to comply, smiling a radiant smile that was almost dazzling. 

"Your wish is my command, Queen Anne." He blinked, witnessing how her blush intensified before they headed to the living room where dinner was about to be served. 

* * *

Only the best of the best was served on a large pine table covered with a white tablecloth on which the hotel's blue emblem was embroidered and clearly visible to all. Sweet potato casserole, green beans, and poultry were just a small part of what the hotel kitchen prepared for the guests of the writer, who checked into the hotel under the false name of Cordelia Wisteria. But that doesn't matter, because the hotel followed the motto: Who pays a lot deserve the finest

The group had gathered in the huge living area of the suite where the large table was specially set up by the hotel staff. Diana insisted on offering their guests a view of Toronto's illuminated harbor during their visit, so everyone was now seated around the buffet in the spacious area. Anne was sitting between Diana and Cole, who both looked at her questioningly from the side, wanting to know what happened on the balcony. They regretted succumbing to the charm of Sebastian, who kept them engaged in such a cheerful conversation all the time that they completely forgot that Anne and Gilbert were standing in the wintery cold of the balcony. The two would have loved to see what was going on there. 

Anne seemed more relaxed than before as if she had found a valve that was powerful enough to let out what was clouding her mind so much. But maybe it was just the fact that she was given the opportunity again to look into the fire of hazel eyes that she thought would never warm her again which made her more composed. Gilbert sat directly across from her, unable to take his eyes off Anne and her mesmerizing beauty, while in his mind he kept reviewing this intense moment from a few moments before, which felt like the beginning of something monumental to him. In a single evening, he was allowed to feel her body pressed against his flesh twice, inhaling her closeness like the oxygen that keeps him alive, and even if he wanted more, he made the decision to agree to whatever she is willing to offer for the reason that he knew that the shadows of her past have not yet cleared and so he would give her time, wishing that he could be the sun when her shadows dissolve. Right now, he was just relieved that she was obviously ready to get to know him better.

After some minutes of merry chatter, Cole had had enough and put his cutlery on the edge of his plate on which steamed vegetables and a piece of chicken breast were piled, folding his hands as he directed his attention to the redhead next to him and the handsome young man sitting across from his seat. "Oh my god, I'm dying of curiosity. I need to know what happened on the balcony." He expressed his nosiness, seeing exactly how Gilbert and Anne smiled at each other, two souls communicating with each other and saying, "This is our secret, and therefore none of your business."

Gilbert nodded to Anne, not particularly surprised that he and she seemed to understand each other blindly, watching how she leaned slightly to one side to answer Cole, "We talked, that's all." She told the blonde, shrugging her shoulders just as she took a sip of her water. Anne deliberately refrained from alcohol, the effect Gilbert had on her matched it quite well, making her tipsy with every smile he sent in her direction. Everything he did was so consuming, even the smallest gesture, spoken or wordlessly expressed, absolutely every little piece he gave her so willingly spread the fire in her that danced around the closed door of her heart, step by step thawing the icebergs in front of it, letting him nearer and nearer to the entrance of her crux by the second. 

Diana, who watched everything with eagle eyes, saw this little smirk that danced around Anne's lips, able to imagine that more must have happened on the balcony. Gilbert must have reached her best friend in some way, because she seemed different in his presence than in that of other people she had met in recent years, cautious but also more inclined to open up to him and the whole situation what could be seen in her body language, always directing her stature in his direction, following the call of the attraction that everyone in the room could witness.

The clacking sound of the dishes echoed across the room, which was lit by the light from the fireplace and a few candles that gave off the scent of vanilla. "Blythe!" Bash started, his toothy grin immediately lighting up the room. "Does that mean you didn't confess your never-ending love to Queen Anne?" He couldn't help but tease his brother, who after all the last few days when he was in a rather bad mood finally looked happy again, at least until Bash opened his mouth.

His cough was audible as Gilbert almost choked on his water. It took quite a while for his coughing noises to subside. He would have loved to have taken the leg of chicken lying on the plate in front of him and stuffed Bash's mouth with it. How can he say that? Sure, Gilbert has feelings for Anne that go deeper than first thought, but Sebastian has no right to say such a thing. The revelation of his feelings must come from him, but only when he is sure that Anne is ready to hear this and gives him a sign that she may even harbor the same feelings for him as he does for her.

Anne was just as affected by Bash's words, shyly indulging her gaze from Gilbert and preferring to focus on the green beans on her plate in the hope that no one sees her red cheeks, which suddenly felt quite hot. How should both of them escape this uncomfortable situation? Gilbert's nervousness was evident when his right hand went to the back of his neck, scratching it, like every time he feels uncomfortable. He sighed before putting on what he hoped was a credible smile, addressing Anne who didn't dare look at him. 

"Please, Anne! Don't listen to Bash, since I've known him he's made it his life goal to torment me with his teasing, and so far he's been pretty good at it." He looked to his side where Bash was sitting who attempted to suppress his laughter. Sebastian could only thank God at this minute for the fact that looks cannot kill, because Gilbert's looked more than murderous.

"It's okay, Gil. I'm used to teasing. Cole and Jerry love teasing me all the time too." Anne's voice came softly and with a certain timidity that Gilbert couldn't help but find cute. 

The mention of Jerry gave Gilbert the perfect opportunity to change the subject, curious about what the townsfolk of Avonlea have been up to for the past few years, even if the conversation would open old wounds. He knew that it was best not to touch wounds because otherwise, they would never have the chance to heal, but he was happy to open them, feeling that Avonlea is a safe place for Anne, where he hoped she found all that she deserves, loving people who discerned the value in her and showered her with the love that everyone longs for.

"How are Jerry and the Cuthbert's? It's been such a long time since I last saw them all. Jerry hadn't even hit puberty when I left Avonlea." Gilbert had to chuckle, thinking again about the fond memories he made with Jerry Baynard, whom he had missed quite often in recent years. He was the first friend Gilbert made, back in kindergarten, where they swore eternal friendship to one another in the sandpit.

"Jerry has definitely reached puberty. But Diana can tell you more about it, after all, she was with him for years and knows how much every part of his body has grown. Isn't that so, Di?" Cole chimed in, laughing out loud as he thought about what a growth spurt Jerry had in his youth. He winked at Diana who shook her head in amusement but mouthed a "Fuck You, Cole!" 

"I still can't believe that you lived in Avonlea for so many years, and we never met." He added, looking at Gilbert, who was gazing at Anne, which did not surprise him. He felt that Gilbert's eyes would always be directed on Anne as long as he is in the same room as she is.

Every eye contact between Anne and Gilbert had such an intensity that spoke of intimacy, as if they were doing what they couldn't express with their words with the conversation of their eyes, which spoke of poetry and feelings that they couldn't explain, holding the mirrors to their souls that was reflected in the shimmering surface of an ocean and the glowing flicker of a fire, carried by pairs of eyes that only saw each other.

Without taking his eyes off Anne, Gilbert poked at his mashed potatoes with his polished silver fork, answering Cole's question without looking at him, wanting to bathe too much in the ocean of her eyes.

"I spent most of my childhood at Green Gables when I wasn't reading a book under one of the apple trees in our apple orchard." He said smiling though he felt the feeling of missing something. The apple trees of the beautiful Blythe orchard gave him shade and light at the same time in the summers of his childhood. They were his safe place, where for a short time he could be a child who just wanted to be carried away by the world of books, which at least for a while managed to make him travel to places where there were no sick fathers, or dead mothers, just adventures and happy endings.

He took another sip of his water, hoping not to choke on it again. That would only end in an embarrassment that he wished to avoid, not wanting to remind the others of his flustered state from before and the words of Bash that caused it. The subject of Avonlea, and its connection to the small town, was filled with pain, but momentarily he could bear that somehow better than comments on his feelings for Anne so he sighed and opened his mouth for another time. 

"Except for Jerry and Diana, of course, I didn't really have any other friends. My dad was good friends with Marilla and Matthew so I was either home or at Green Gables and before you ask why we never met at school, I was homeschooled. That way I could take better care of my father. As you can see, there haven't been many opportunities for me to meet other kids. I guess you only met Jerry when the Cuthbert's adopted Anne, right?" He asked Cole who was surprised by the way the universe worked. After all these years the stars of all galaxies met to align and bring Anne and Gilbert to each other, who had so much more in common than initially assumed, and not only Cole wondered what fate was planning for the two.

Anne saw the slight melancholy in Gilbert's eyes, imagining how difficult it must have been for him to talk about a time when he still had his father by his side. Meanwhile, Gilbert blamed himself for breaking his promise to Jerry. From what Diana told him, he knew his ex-best friend was having a hard time coping with the departure of him. Maybe there was a bigger reason that Anne came into his life, perhaps it is she who would give him back a piece of himself. He could live with that, he thought to himself, the main thing is that she doesn't give him his heart back, because that has abandoned him to get irrevocably lost to her. 

This selfish young man did it for her, Anne realized the moment her grayish-blue orbs drowned in his hazel eyes. He dug up all the memories for her to give her a piece of home. He took care of her, of her soul and her heart, giving away a warm balm, which she gratefully accepted, smiling prettily at him. 

"You are right, Gil. Cole didn't know Jerry before I was adopted. Your father must be John Blythe. Marilla often talked about him and his son, but I couldn't have known that she was talking about you and your father." Anne reached out her hand across the table, placing it on his. Her cold hand squeezed his warm one gently, which surprised Gilbert. It was small, her hand, and even though it was only on top of his, he knew the palm of her hand would fit perfectly into his. He wondered what it would feel like to hold her hand, wishing to fill the gaps between his fingers with hers.

Anne felt the other's gaze on her, which pierced the layers of her dress and went deep into her skin. However, no one could see the pain in Gilbert's eyes that she was seeing. How many tears have those beautiful warm eyes shed in this life? She gave him her brightest smile, hoping that it could be a spark in his darkness, directing her words to him. 

"Marilla and Matthew are doing quite well. Both of them have struggled a bit with their health in the past few years but everything is fine with them at the moment. In addition to Jerry, Matthew has also hired his brother Alexandré as a farm help to take better care of his heart which I'm very thankful for. Most of us know that Jerry is a farm boy through and through that's why Matthew made him his partner with whom he runs the farm on an equal basis. It was just the right decision after Matthew's heart attack two years ago."

He didn't know any of that and so Gilbert took his left hand, which was not covered by hers, and buried her hand, which was on his right, with it. This time it was his turn to squeeze her hand, feeling the softness of her skin as he brushed his fingers over hers. "I'm sorry about Matthew's heart attack. Is he really better now? He was always so nice to me, shy but one of the kindest people I have ever met."

When Anne let his caress sink into the depths of her epidermis, absorbing the feeling that gave her heart wings that opened to want to receive him, she wondered why she wanted to run away from him at the beginning. It was he alone who gave her a pulse, which raced, solely because she was touched by him, in ways that went beyond body contact. She has never revealed so much to another person in a single evening as to him, but he was not like everyone else, he is Gilbert, the one whose heart was just as covered with scars as hers and whose touch felt like the handwriting of her soul, writing to her that he can be a relief to all her pain if she is willing to share it with him. She couldn't share all the torments she had lived through yet, it was far too early for that, but she could give him snippets, yes, she could do that.

She nodded, withdrawing her hand from his while her gaze was still focused on his handsome features. All she could say was "Thank you", whispering the words quietly to hide the cracking sound in her voice. As much pain Anne has already suffered in her life, nothing was comparable to the feeling when she sat in the hallway of the hospital two years ago, praying to God that he would not take her dear Matthew away from her, who was the first man who ever showed her what it feels like to be loved. His love is that of a man who found his daughter in her, whether she shares the same blood with him or not, and every day she thanks the heavenly Father for giving her Matthew and Marilla and for granting her more time with him. 

"May I ask when you were adopted?" It was Sebastian who asked the question that Gilbert wanted to ask all along, but couldn't muster up enough courage. He didn't know if it was something Anne liked to talk about.

Outside, the snow quietly fell from the nocturnal firmament, where the moon was not alone on this evening, surrounded by thousands of stars, who gave their closeness to the beautiful orb of the night. Anne turned around for a moment, looking over the chair out of the window, seeking for the light of the moon hanging in the sky and seeing the stars keep the celestial body company. Suddenly there was a feeling of gratitude for not having to be alone, like the magical silver globe on many nights. When she saw the rays of the moonlight, expressing the joy of having someone with it while longing for the sun that the moon so secretly loves, she wondered if she will ever be someone's sun or moon. What she could not know, however, was that there was a person sitting in the room to whom she gave light in the dark and warmth in the daytime, someone who gazed at her in admiration, as she looked at the silver light of the moon while he looked at her. 

She smiled, turning around and seeing that Gilbert's eyes never left her. While Anne was moonstruck, Gilbert was addicted to the feeling of her eyes on him in which the candlelight was reflected, flickering like the heart in his chest that burned for her. But instead of focusing her attention on Gilbert, she looked at Bash, whom she owed an answer to his question. 

"I'm 21 now and I was adopted by Marilla and Matthew when I was 13. It was a coincidence that brought me to them because they actually wanted a boy. After some difficulties at the beginning, they decided to keep me and Anne Shirley became Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. The day I was allowed to write my name in the Cuthbert family Bible was the best day of my life. No number one spot on the bestseller lists can ever give me the feeling that Marilla and Matthew gave me by adopting me. Coming to Avonlea was the best that could have happened to me. And I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity Marilla and Matthew offered to me. Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Sitting right next to Anne, Diana took Anne's hand, knowing her friend well enough to know what Matthew and Marilla mean to her. "The day Matthew and Marilla adopted you was also the best thing that ever happened to me. Oh, Anne, I'm sure that without you, I would never have had the courage to break out of the golden cage that was once my home. Thanks to you I know what it feels like to be self-determined and free from imposed obligations to which I never felt obliged." She placed a light kiss on the back of Anne's hand before she turned to the others. 

"Well, I think we have enough time in the next few weeks to get to know each other better and as much as I would like to keep talking about Avonlea and watching you two staring at each other, I think now is the time to get to the business part." Her gaze shifted from Anne to Gilbert. Just like everyone, she could see and above all feel the chemistry between the author and the bookstore owner. Her words made both of them blush and she giggled, secretly admitting that the two would make a pretty nice couple. What she noticed between the two of them was enough to make her a fan of the ship that she named but she wasn't the only one. Bash couldn't wait to get home and tell Mary about his surveillance that evening. Gilbert and Anne weren't the least bit subtle in the way they talked, touched, and looked at each other. For Bash, everything told him that two people who were meant to meet had found each other, just as he found Mary almost 7 years ago.

Diana's soft voice sounded through the living room. She was already in her professional business mode when she overlooked a pile of paper she was holding in her hands. "The lawyers checked all the documents and finally gave their okay to sign the contracts. As you know, Anne writes under a pseudonym and avoids the public. She occasionally gives readings, provided that her true identity remains a secret. This means that there will be no photos of her for the audience. In the next few weeks, we will consider together how we want to make your customers aware of Anne's reading. In any case, it can't be done in a public way, but that's all in the contract. But first read through the documents. Feel free to ask questions if you want." 

That's what Diana told them, addressing Gilbert and Sebastian who were listening attentively even though Gilbert averted to look at Diana, smiling at Anne who thought that she could get used to the heat of her blushing cheeks that he caused with his presence. Gilbert had the impression that Anne is not only a person who can change the lives of others but also the world, Anne had at least already shaken his, evoking emotions that only grew stronger the more insight into the story of her life he got. 

"Blythe, focus on the documents, you have enough time to moon over the lovely Queen Anne in the next few weeks." Bash nudged Gilbert in the ribs, pointing at the documents in front of him just as he gave Anne his significant smile. Gilbert shook his head, his in the meantime dried curls bouncing up and down, answering Bash with a roll of his eyes. He wondered if the day would ever come when Sebastian wouldn't annoy him with his teasing.

The words Bash uttered were reverberating in Anne's head, and she became thoughtful. She had the realization that Gilbert saw more in her since the day she met him, but was it really possible that he had deeper feelings for her than expected? Could someone like him really harbor feelings for someone like her? There was the connection that couldn't be denied and he tried to kiss her, but does that mean his heart beats for her?

His so tasty looking lips escaped a heavy sigh. "I'm so sorry, Anne. Just ignore everything Bash says. That's just him, an annoying big brother who can't keep his mouth shut." 

Oh well, there she had her answer. Of course, a man as handsome as he would never feel more for her. She reprimanded herself for just thinking about the possibility. How absurd it was to believe that all of the gazes, the touches, and all the little things he did had a deeper meaning. 

"Hmm" Anne just hummed, not knowing what to say otherwise. Her heart knew the truth, wishing she was the cause of the fire in his eyes. How he behaved was so confusing to her and that's why she hoped that she would have enough time to figure out what his contradicting behavior means. Because even if she couldn't face the truth that everything her soul talks about is him, quietly quoting poetry she discerned in him in whispers, somehow she hoped that she was the one his heart talked about. 

Biting her lip, she watched Gilbert read the contracts. His eyebrows were raised, focused, evidently processing the content. He bit his lip too, his attentiveness centered on the piece of paper, that really turned out to be a unique opportunity, not because it would get his bookstore a reading by a world-famous author, but because with his signature he would be able to keep Anne in his life longer than he could ever dream of. 

After some minutes of concentrating reading, he put the pile of papers on the table, immediately finding Anne's blue eyes, which this time were surprisingly directly fixed on him, making him quite nervous. He cleared his throat, obviously feeling a bit flustered. "Uhm, it is written here that you have to visit the bookstore beforehand to familiarize yourself with the atmosphere. Do you have any idea when you would like to do that? 

Cole shook Anne's right upper arm and she had the impression that he was trying to get her out of the trance into which hazel eyes were trying to pull her. "Oh Anne, tell him about the idea you had. Believe me, you will love it." The young man with the strawberry-blond hair grinned knowingly, winking at Gilbert who became curious about Cole's statement. 

Diana agreed and clapped happily in her hands. "Her idea is fantastic. Come on Anne, tell them about it" 

"Please, tell me more!" Gilbert's interest was piqued, crossing his arms while he waited for Anne to answer.

After some minutes it was indeed Anne who made the decision to answer him, fiddling with the edges of the tablecloth that adorned the table made of pine wood. She made the impression that she was a bit insecure due to the fact that she did not know how Gilbert and Bash would receive her idea but she knew that it was too late to back out. "Well, I thought it might not be a bad idea if I worked at Global and Bookish for a few days. In this way, I can get an idea of the customers and get used to everything, the background noise, and the incidence of light, simply everything. When I read everything has to be perfect. Of course, you don't have to say yes if you think my suggestion is stupid, but it would make it easier for me to overcome my anxiety. "

Gilbert seemed pleased with Anne's suggestion, grinning broadly at her. But that wasn't surprising either. If he and Bash would agree to the idea, it would mean for him to circle longer in her orbit, in which he was the satellite that discovered more and more galaxies in her, spheres in which, as he suspected, not many people floated yet.

"That's a great suggestion, isn't it, Bash? We are a small bookstore, but now that the Christmas season begins, it is well attended and there is a lot of work to do. I'm sure that you can be of great help to us. Just tell us when you have time and then we can find a day for you to start." He seemed more than pleased with her idea and couldn't stop grinning. Bash got the impression that Gilbert reminded him a bit of Delphine when she got a new toy. He just hoped Gilbert and Anne weren't going to play a game other than a puzzle, filling in the gaps of their hearts with each other.

Bash shook his head but his expression was soft. His lips held a smile that he gave his brother, being very delighted that Gilbert finally found a person to make him fight for her heart. That's exactly what Gilbert needs right now, someone who shows him that it is worth fighting for what your heart desires and to see her shyly, but also longingly gazing at Gilbert, Bash had the feeling that this fight could even end in victory.

"You seem to have made the decision without me but I agree. It's really a good idea and I really think you will like Global and Bookish, Anne. Somehow I get the impression that you belong right there." He told her, eyeing his brother and business partner who did what he did best, drowning in the ocean Anne's eyes held 

"Wonderful, wonderful." Cole clapped his hands exaggeratedly, leaving his seat which drew the attention of the others. He reminded Diana and Anne of the eccentric behavior of Diana's great-aunt Josephine Barry. The two young women looked at each other, holding back laughter that was about to break out.

Anne's manager went to the commode in the hallway of the suite and came back with a noble-looking pen, holding it out to Sebastian and Gilbert. "Are you ready to finally sign the contracts and start the ASC adventure?" His brows were raised, waiting for someone to take the pen from him. 

Gilbert was more than ready for what could become the adventure of his life for him except that his adventure wasn't called ASC, it was called Anne, Anne with an E. He managed to thaw the ice in front of her heart, but what he needed now was patience. She was a high risk because his heart was in her hand and she could crush it, or let it fall, break it into pieces for which, he believed, there was no glue to put the shards back together. But he knew the softness of her hands now and so he could only hope that they would hold his heart and shelter it with the security that he had found in her. She was by far the most certain thing he'd ever known simply for the reason that nobody ever gave meaning to his feelings as she did. Meeting Anne was the answer to the question he always asked himself. 

How does it feel to fall so deep for someone that everything the heart can weigh is just that one name of the person to whom it got lost? 

Gilbert never fell so deep, and nothing and no one could hinder him from falling deeper every time. He fell for her eyes and the sound of her voice, for the words she spoke and the touches whose sensitivity went deeper into the fibers of his skin. Everything she gave him reached the core of his heart, which glowed like a mountain of lava that was about to erupt. At some point, there would come a moment when it would explode. As he held the pen in his shaky hands, lifting his head again to see Anne's smile before signing the contract, he could do nothing but pray that Anne would one day be ready to be warmed by all that his heart holds, not knowing that if there is a person who is able to melt her insides, it is him.

Sebastian and Gilbert signed the contracts and together with the others toasted to it. Gilbert and Anne with water, and the rest with sparkling champagne. The author and Gilbert's eyes met while sipping their water at the same time, and everyone knew that this would be more than just the beginning of a business relationship. They all talked a little longer and Anne gave Gilbert her phone number, secretly in a moment that belonged only to both of them. 

At some point, the moment came when the initially nerve-wracking evening came to a happy end and it was time to say goodbye to each other. Everyone said goodbye with smiles and hugs until only Anne and Gilbert were left. The looks of the others held a certain expectation as the two shyly faced each other. Gilbert wasn't sure whether to say goodbye with a handshake or a hug. Ultimately, he decided to do something completely different, taking a step towards Anne, who looked at him with her wide-eyed blue eyes. He brushed a strand from her face, cupping her cheek on which he placed a gentle kiss that melted like a snowflake into her skin, which suddenly felt more hot than warm.

"Good night, Anne with an E." He whispered before giving her one last smile that rivaled the moon and all the stars that hung in the sky.

Before she even had the chance to answer him, the main door closed and he was gone, leaving Anne standing in the hallway of the suite, who smiled gently. "Good night, Gil." Her low whisper was not audible to anyone except herself. Everything she felt deep inside was so unfamiliar to her, but she liked the warmth Gilbert kindled in her in an indescribable way. She never felt as warm as near him, as if he were a blanket that was so fitting tailored just for her in a way that there was nothing she could do but long for the feeling he was giving her.

Diana, who noticed a lot that evening, wore an expectant expression on her face, wishing nothing more for her best friend than that she would find in Gilbert someone who might be the one who can show her that the bad experiences of her past, must not be the ones of her future. She was about to clear the dishes from the table when Cole approached Anne with a knowing smile.

"You know Gilbert has a crush on you, right?" He asked the redhead, seeing her flushed cheeks, whose red color he thought suit her very well. "I mean the way he looks at you he must have one. He looks at you like you've hung the moon and put every star in the sky and I think if he could and you would allow it, then he would take a ladder to climb up and give you the brightest star he can find, the exact one that reminds him of you."

In response, he received a slap on his upper arm from Anne, who couldn't believe what Cole had assumed. A man like Gilbert Blythe certainly didn't have a crush on her. "Take that back, Cole Mackenzie! He definitely doesn't have a crush on me and since when have you been such a romantic?"

Cole wished he had had his phone or camera on hand to capture the expression on her face. Her eyes were narrowed and her nose wrinkled, from which Cole expected that smoke would come out of it. Her hands were clenched in fists, while her face was the same color as her hair. He just chuckled, making his way to the door of his room, where he stopped and looked at Anne again. "I've been a romantic ever since I saw Gilbert Blythe look at you and the way you look at him. You can deny it for as long as you want, but I know what I've seen." 

The only thing Anne heard was the bang of Cole's bedroom door. She looked to see if Diana was still somewhere, but she was nowhere to be found, and so the author made her way into her own room, getting rid of the black high heels that made her feet ache before throwing herself on her bed and enjoying the silence for a moment that surrounded the place. She folded her hands over her chest and looked up at the ceiling. The evening was so eventful that Anne first had to get used to the calm that she now perceived. She thought of a lot that had happened that evening, but what clouded her mind most was Gilbert. How will it be to spend more time with him in the next few weeks? Her heart was already full to the brim and she didn't know how to accept more from him without overflowing at some point. Because she knew that the ice was melting, running through the cracks of the door that locked her heart and it only seemed to fill up only more the more insight she got into the book that was called Gilbert Blythe and spoke of a type of pain that seemed achingly but still harbored a hope that described a man poetically and beautifully who only made her love for words grow.

Her eyes were closed when the notification tone on her phone suddenly rang across the room. She picked it from her nightstand and the blinking message on the display was enough to make her face shine, which showed an adorable smile. 

[Gil - 10:35 p.m] Hi, Anne it's me, Gil!!!!! ☺️ I just wanted to say that it was a very nice evening and Sebastian and I asked ourselves if you would like to visit us at Global and Bookish in the coming days. Let us know when you have time. I am glad to have met you again, and though I don't know what fate is trying to tell us, I can't wait to find out. Anyway, sleep well Anne or should I call you Carrots the snow woman?🥕⛄🤭 - Gil

Anne laughed out loud. She read his text for a second time and typed out a quick message. 

[Anne 🥕⛄ - 10:37 p.m] I think I prefer Anne ☺️ I would like to visit you guys but let's talk about it tomorrow when we had a good rest, okay? Good night, Gil. I hope you sleep well - Anne]

She turned off her cell phone and put it back on her bedside table. Without removing her make-up and putting on pajamas beforehand, she fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of hugs in the snow that will someday melt just as she did in his arms that evening.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now the story can really start. In the next chapter, Anne and Gilbert get to know each other better. Anne visits Global and Bookish and the tension between them grows!


	7. Prince Charming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert comes to terms with his feelings for Anne. Anne visits Global and Bookish for the first time. A lot of tension arises while both get to know each other better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers. Now that my fic based on Taylor Swift's 'tis the damn season is finally finished, I can get back to this story. Gilbert now knows that Anne is ASC, which of course complicates things. Anne visits the bookshop for the first time and has to deal with some feelings she has never felt like this before. Unfortunately, I couldn't include her first encounter with Mary and Dellie in the chapter because it would have been over 20k words long otherwise.
> 
> I'm such a wordy writer. For some it is a curse and for others a blessing. I'm still figuring out what it is for me
> 
> Anyway, some parts of the next chapter are already written and then you will get the long awaited meeting. I hope you like the chapter anyway. 
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you think about it!

The citizens of Toronto were greeted by a bright white-hued celestial sphere from which the silvery-white flakes, shaped in uniqueness landed unhindered on the roofs and streets of the Canadian metropolis. Winter had settled in the urban place, an icy breeze blowing into the megacity that was covered by a meter-high layer of snow. The Snow Queen and her loyal partner the Ice King were commissioned by Mother Nature to descend their greetings to the capital of Ontario, holding the kisses of the season in their palms as they were seated on their fluffy thrones of clouds and sent them down on their way to earth. In recent days, Toronto disappeared more and more under the icy mantle that blanketed the cosmopolitan place, glittering in the light of day crystalline-like as if it were millions of tiny twinkling jewels. 

While the beginning of the wintertime hushed the city at the beginning, the residents and tourists who lived and lodged in Toronto had become accustomed to the visit of the coldest season, accepted by some with joy while others wished it had never arrived. The streets and pathways in the center of the metropolitan place were freed from the masses of snow, the traces that the people had left behind on their way across the snowy streets, no longer visible to the naked eye. Mountains full of nature's white powder piled at the edges on the lanes and walkways, on which that day Toronto's typical hectic hustle and bustle was hearable, sounding into one of the bedrooms on the upper hall of the red brick house on Montgomery Avenue where a certain young man was in a state of nervousness.

The noises coming from outside were drowned out by Gilbert talking to his friend Fred on the phone, keeping him updated on the events of the past 48 hours while he stood in front of his closet searching for the perfect outfit for the day. His mobile phone was tucked between his shoulder and cheek, his head slanted to the left to have it in a firm grip and to be able to use both hands-free to rummage through his closet, pushing the hangers on the clothes rack to the left side while he took some other items of clothing out of the dresser and just threw them on the carpet, appearing dissatisfied and at the same time nervous, which was not hidden from Fred on the other end of the phone.

"What's wrong with you, Gil? You sound nervous. I thought you'd be happy that you found Anne. When did you say she wants to be at Global and Bookish? Maybe it would be good if I came too. In this way, I can get to know the famous Anne who like we both know by now is indeed famous." Fred had to snicker, hearing Gilbert's deep breathing through the mobile and some noises he couldn't pinpoint at the time. After the surprising occurrences two days ago, Gilbert managed to tell Fred that Anne, the beautiful stranger he told his friend about, is in fact the best-selling author with the pen name ASC. That being the case, there were no longer secrets between the two friends who mostly told each other everything. 

"No!" Shouting loudly and letting out a deep sigh, Gilbert took a few steps backward tossing himself on the soft mattress of his bed, sheathed with a patchwork duvet that once was in the possession of his father.

For the past three weeks, he couldn't think of anything but Anne. Since meeting her that afternoon in November rain, the main focus of his mind was centered on nothing but the dryad with fiery red tendrils of liquid copper and gold who always manages to make the tips of his fingers tickle when she is in his immediate vicinity, awakening in him the need to tangle his elongated fingers in the lengths of her tresses, which, like her whole body, gave off the scent of the sweetness of lavender, the one fragrance that was somehow able to replace the odor of books as his favorite scent. He became aware of this after she embraced him two days ago, surrounded by the silver glow of the nocturnal eye and thousands of golden clusters, experiencing the magic of a moment with the redhead in which nothing else existed than him and her. To feel Anne so close by himself was everything for him, a feeling that he would never have wanted to let go. The warmth of her delicate physique rendered him speechless, paralyzing his whole constitution whilst countless snowflakes danced around them accompanied by a wintery gust of wind. The young bookstore co-owner believed that they must have moved to the music of his heart, beating so loudly against his chest that he was sure Anne could hear or at least feel the booming of it, pressed close to his flesh, making it possible for him to outline her curves and hills that he badly desired to explore with the holism of his existence, his kissing lips, touching fingertips and maybe even with his loving self. 

Maybe it was truly a touch of love he felt for Anne. He wasn't sure yet, but only because nothing has ever made him feel this kind of longing for someone in the way she was able to. Never having been smitten with a person with such a consuming intensity, he had no other comparison to the feeling that he had all the time when she was with him and that was always, holding her in his heart that as incomprehensible as it was, got lost to her, irretrievable, falling deep for her without knowing if he will ever end up where he tried to aim, the center of her essence protected by walls that he had decided to tear down at all costs. He just didn't really know how. To find out that Anne is his favorite writer, ASC, who also has a connection to his hometown Avonlea, the place on the other side of the country that he had shunned for half an eternity because it held too many painful memories of his childhood and the death of his beloved father, came as a huge and unexpected surprise to him, waking up his belief in fate because the meeting with her could not have been anything other than this; destiny, there was no other word for it that could ever have explained what everything had to mean. Anne walked into his life without warning, disguised as a perfect storm that he had to chase given that she shifted the axis of his world as well as the beat of his heart that beat differently after her entry, faster, louder, and in a way as if it were meant to beat solely for her.

The exhalation he let out into the void of his room held the tension he felt in every single bone of his body, aggravating each of his movements. Raising his phone in an excruciating slow motion to his ear, he gave his friend Fred an answer to the question he had asked a few moments earlier, staring at the white-painted ceiling of his bedroom as he slowly parted his lips, thinking of Anne, who not only found a home in the foreground of his thoughts but also in the middle of his heart without even knowing about it, living there rent-free.

"It is better if you don't come." He began, shifting his body on his mattress to find a comfortable position. "That would only make me more nervous than I already am. In her text message, she wrote that she would be here around 10 a.m. I don't know what to do, Fred. She dances around in my mind every second. Don't get me wrong, I'm so excited to see her but what if the fact that she's the author to read at Global and Bookish complicates everything between us?... Whatever it is!" Taking a sip of water from the glass that was on the bedside table by his wooden bed, he continued, noticing that Fred was listening intently, being the good friend and listener Gilbert knew he was.

"It's the perfect opportunity to get to know her better, but what if she notices that I'm boring and uninteresting. What do I have to offer anyway? Who knows what other interesting people she associates with otherwise? I mean, she's a famous writer and all I am is a medical student who happens to co-own a small bookstore. "

Gilbert had the impression that Anne was a person worthy of the brightest colors in the world, rainbows that painted her life with happiness, the yellow of a sunshine, healing the wounds her soul had to carry, filling in the vacant spaces with the shiniest tones, melting wax crayons and gentle brush strokes, putting on paper what she was to him, a masterful work of art that put the prettiest hues in his world that he captured with his heart, blue eyes, red hair, orange freckles and pink lips that he thirsted for, like a brush for the water, to paint with watercolor the rainbow of hope that she was in his gray cloud, gracing his darkest sky with her beauty. All she did was to turn his darkness into light, blinding him with all her colors and he wasn't sure he had enough colors to do the same with hers, possessing the knowledge that no rainbow can exist without rain and that she must have cried many tears in her life, just as he did, followed by darkness that came along with the pain of days gone by. What he didn't take into account in his way of thinking, however, was that he had a multicolored soul himself but his fear that Anne would not like him the way he wanted her to, made him color-blind in regards to his own hues.

After a short silence in which, as Gilbert assumed, Fred used the time to sort his thoughts, his voice was suddenly audible through the phone again. "Gil, now listen to me man. You said yourself that there is this connection between you so why do you still doubt yourself? She must have felt it too. Would she have hugged you otherwise? Hell, if you opened your eyes from time to time, you'd know you could have any woman. You're actually a lucky bastard. Not all are lucky enough to be as popular as you are. When I walk around the campus with you, I always feel like a portrait that was exhibited in a museum, and was painted by an unknown artist, but hangs next to a work by Picasso that everyone looks at and secretly admires, as do all the young women who keep watching you."

Although Fred couldn't see it, of course, Gilbert rolled his eyes, threading his fingers through his damp mane, still wet from the shower he took before calling his friend. His lips let out a sigh that contained frustration and some kind of anxiety. "But-" he started, but was immediately interrupted by Fred, who too had to huff, hearable for Gilbert at the other end of the phone, probably not able to understand where these self-doubts suddenly came from Gilbert, who was otherwise a rather self-conscious young man.

"No buts, Gil! There was something between you, it has to. How else can you explain what you're feeling? Just be yourself. It's totally normal to be nervous, but don't let that take away the anticipation of meeting her." It was a small attempt to cheer up Gilbert who, as Fred thought at the moment, sounded very troubled, gasping heavily through the phone. "If you two have chemistry, then nothing else matters. Believe me!"

Gilbert and Anne had that, the chemistry so many people talk about all the time. From the beginning there was the same frequency, swingings that created an electric tension between him and her that was not visible but all the more perceptible, like an electric shock hitting right in his heart where something stirred that could not be forced, something that came with a naturalness that from the beginning made him not think but feel, her soul reaching out to him, dancing together to the sound of the crackling energy that was born between him and her with the moment they met for the very first time. It was so strong that it set his whole being on fire, warming him with the blaze that she ignited. She must have felt that too, the merging of his soul with hers as if they were two liquid drops of wax that dripped into one another and became one. It had such an incredible intensity, this feeling that maneuvered him into an unknown land, not initiating an earthquake, but a quake of his heart that brought emotions to the light of day that he could only feel because of her and he wondered if there was a possibility that he shook Anne's world in the same way she did his, unleashing feelings that grew stronger with every minute he was allowed to spend in her vicinity.

Straightening up and tucking a pillow behind his back with his free hand, he leaned his head against the wooden headrest of his bed, inhaling deeply, before exhaling it while talking to Fred, seeking some comfort he knew he wouldn't find, considering that all the thoughts in his head clouded his mind and rigidified his body. "Be myself? I mean the advice is certainly well-intentioned, but how am I supposed to be myself when I feel so insecure around her? I never know what to say to her or how to act around her and there is chemistry, so much fucking chemistry, Fred. But knowing that she is in fact ASC just makes everything worse." His statement was uttered quietly, his voice low and tinged with despair. 

Gilbert found that now that he knew Anne was a prominent writer whose books are known worldwide, there was a possibility that the relationship, which was currently on a blurred line between acquaintance and the beginning of friendship, ran the risk that Anne might want to leave it at what it was at the moment. What if she might not want to take the step that could lead further beyond? After all, it could be that she wanted to keep everything professional, perhaps not daring to put her feet in the water that would lead her into his abysses and depths, to the hidden places where the bottom of his heart and soul are located, holding everything that his being is made of. He willingly opened the book of his life for her, trusting her with some of the darkest parts of it whilst he hoped that she would read every line of it to get to know his character. All he wanted in return was to get some insight into the book of hers as well, even if he knew it had written pages, that would bring him tears, but he would take it upon himself if it meant getting a glimpse into her life story. And although he had the feeling that she was already giving him small extracts from it, he wanted more, more than she was currently able to give him, he knew that, and therefore he wanted to give her time and show her that he was trustworthy enough to share her most painful experiences with him.

"Gil!" Fred's slightly annoyed voice roared through the phone, for a split second causing Gilbert to pull it away from his ear. "Do me a fucking favor and calm down. You said yourself that the chemistry is there. Now you just have to figure out how far it goes. You've been given the best chance to do that now so use it wisely and stop doubting yourself. That you even met Anne again was a miracle. So take a deep breath, wear something that will make her knees weak, maybe one of your tight black jeans, together with a nice button-down shirt, and just breathe. Please stop worrying about things you have no control over anyway. Can you do that?"

Could he do that, just pretend his heart wasn't beating faster every time she looked at him, ignoring the feeling of the shiver that ran down his spine as soon as her voice raced through his ear canal? Of course not, but still his friend was right, as so often. "You're right. I have no control over what I feel and even more so over what can happen. But Fred, Anne is so ugh...I don't know...What I feel for Anne I've never felt for anyone before, and it scares me because even though I haven't known her long, it feels like something I never want to not feel. Does that make any sense to you?" 

Fred answered his question with a chuckle because it made perfect sense. His best friend was in love, if there was one thing Fred was sure of, it was that Gilbert had fallen head over heels for the mysterious Anne, and the more time passed, the more it became apparent in his friend's behavior. Gilbert would have picked up every stone in Toronto to find Anne in the metropolis. Nobody does that who just wants to be friends with the other person. It was love, that inexplicable construct that doesn't care who it aims its arrow at, guided by the universe that decided Anne fit in his heart like it was made for her. 

Waiting at the other end of the line, Fred let the sounds of his chuckle fade away and then began sharing his thoughts with Gilbert, who had lain down on his bed, his weight shifted to the right side, staring at his loaded closet while he considered what would be the best outfit to impress Anne. "That makes perfect sense, Gil. That's what it feels like to be in love. Everything you're feeling right now, the doubts about yourself, and all the thoughts running through your head are there because you're in love. I know it's illogical, but accept it for what it is, an opportunity. Now be yourself and show your Anne what a great guy you are, because you are one, Gil. Anne is lucky to have someone like you fall in love with her and don't even start denying that it's love."

The Global and Bookish co-owner brushed his left palm over his face, wanting to release some of the tension in his facial muscles. The feeling of being in love didn't seem so far-fetched anymore, but as beautiful as it was, there was this fear of not having a chance and it was terrifying. Noticing the increase in his heart rate as he thought of Anne in relation to love, it suddenly hit him like a wave that splashed the revelation of his heart to the shore and he could not prevent it from reaching him. Fred was right, it was love, something that had never happened to him. The glorious and momentous thing called love was something he only ever read about in books, a foreign sentiment to him that came unexpectedly without him seeking it. He always refused to look for it, for that person who gives him a feeling that feels like flying, not because he didn't want to find the one, but because he knew exactly that if it happened to him, he would have no idea how to deal with it, just like it was the case for him right now. 

"How could this happen to me?" He asked his friend, who listened quietly and attentively. "I'm hopelessly in love with her and I don't know how or exactly when it happened but it did and I don't know what to do about it." He could hear Fred trying to hold back a laugh the moment his friend's words began to echo through the speaker. Fred didn't want to laugh because he thought it was funny, but because it took Gilbert so long to realize what he had known for some time.

"There's nothing you can do about that, Gil. Love is not a disease that can be cured with medicine."

For a brief moment, Gilbert removed his phone from his ear to look at the clock, 40 minutes to go and he would finally be able to sink into the beautiful depths of ocean-blue orbs and he couldn't wait to be dragged along to drown in them. "Is that another one of those philosophical sayings from the sticky magnets on your fridge? I think you visit your fridge too often during the day, Freddy." He had to chuckle, covering his mouth with his left hand while his right held his phone the moment he jolted his head to the left, glancing at the opening of his bedroom.

Outside, the fresh snow fell softly and quietly from white clouds that hung on the heaven above, sliding down onto the windowpane of Gilbert's bedroom at a pace that seemed relaxing to the young man who just a few minutes earlier came across as a bundle of nerves, the gaze of his hazel eyes fixed on the glassy pane as he witnessed winter shower the city with its icy kisses. And yes, it scared him to know that what he felt for Anne was love, but at the same time, there was something liberating about it because his heart finally came to terms with the feelings it bore for her. His gaze followed the cold kisses that fell from the sky, giving his otherwise so chaotic inner life a short moment of stillness. Oh, if only he could be covered with kisses from Anne's rosy lips, it would be a dream that so far only appeared in his nightly slumbers, along with the warmness of her breath tickling every part of his skin and her bare flesh pressed tightly against his while his body tangled with hers between the white sheets of his bed. Damn it, he was glad Fred was on the other end of the line and not sitting in the room with him, otherwise he might have to explain the redness on his face that the fantasy of wild hot nights with her evoked. To Gilbert's displeasure, Fred pulled him out of the daydream that he wanted to turn into a reality one day, sitting alone in the empty bedroom, with no red waves spreading out on his pillow and without her head resting on his bare chest.

"No, that's something I picked up from some TV show once." His classmate and friend snorted but then continued with what he wanted to say. "We both know how charming you can be. Use that in your favor but remember this isn't a date, it's a professional visit but who knows, you might be able to talk her into a date. You're not stupid, so I know you can do it." The tone in Fred's voice gave Gilbert the indication that he must be smiling, sometimes one can notice a smile in a voice, as Gilbert could at that moment when Fred addressed his words to him. 

His friend's answer was reassuring and motivating at the same time. The hazel-eyed young man was charming and he also had the feeling that this side of him found favor with Anne. Just, if he would have the self-confidence to show her this side of himself, knowing exactly what effect Anne has on him, predatorily stealing his breath and his words, he did not know one hundred percent for sure. He was about to open his mouth to give Fred an answer when he heard a shrill beep, followed by Fred's monotonous voice. "Sorry, Gil but I have to go, I need to recharge my battery. Remember, be yourself and everything will be fine."

Gilbert smiled thankfully, directing his words to his helpful friend. "Thank you, Fred! I certainly appreciate your help. I don't know what I would do without you." His thankfulness came from the bottom of his heart. That was the difference, between Moody and Fred. As much as he loved Moody, in a brotherly way, Fred is the friend he turned to with matters of the heart, while Moody is the one he could have a lot of fun with, who was more outgoing than Fred. And he was sure he would miss them both if he suddenly didn't have them in his life anymore.

"Oh and Gil? Fred's voice could be heard anew, sounding questioning what made Gilbert wonder.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe you can convince Anne to give you Diana's number. Damn, she was cute and I felt like I was connected to her in the same way that you are with Anne."

Dark curls moved left and right as Gilbert shook his head in amusement, knowing exactly what impression Diana Barry had made on his sandy blonde friend, but that didn't mean he would give him her number, at least not yet. "Bye, Fred!" This was the last thing he had said as he was bidding him farewell with a chuckle and ended the call. 

Gilbert checked the time before turning off the display of his phone, which he put on the brown nightstand next to his wooden bed. In half an hour Anne would be there, a fact that made his anticipation grow. Every second that passed, his blood flowed faster through his veins, pumping into his heart that was already filled to the brim with her. Every thought he wasted on her made the beat gain louder, more palpably striking in his chest, against which it thudded, with a force held solely by her. Rising from his bed, he walked the few steps with bare feet to his closet, which he inspected for something suitable to wear, completely ignoring the things he had thrown on the carpet of his room. He had made it his goal to impress Anne with his outfit in order to leave a lasting impression on her. Nevertheless, he didn't want to dress up for the redheaded beauty, but to meet her as the Gil she was getting to know, a bit nerdy but still fashionable. It took him some time to find something he thought Anne might like. He had never given so much thought to how his physical appearance might look to another person, but she wasn't another person. She was Anne, the woman into whose hands his heart went and who he wished would put it into hers, to let it merge into each other just as their souls already did. With her, everything had changed, and he had to get used to the fact that from now on his subconscious made decisions that his conscious mind would never make in such a way, that had no say in these things, ruled by his heart that put all its efforts into anchoring in hers.

Following the suggestion of his friend Fred, he opted for a tight pair of black ripped jeans that as he imagined would put his well-toned calves and ass into the limelight, combined with a plain white T-shirt over which he decided to wear an unbuttoned plaid shirt of the color combination of gray, white and black. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, revealing the strong veins of his arms that came into view. Obviously feeling comfortable in the things he had slipped into, he reached for a pair of white socks and his brown leather boots that Mary had once given him for his birthday and put them on. After that his way led him to his mirror, trying to tame his curls with a brush, which was an impossible task, and so he wove his fingers through the thick texture of his hair, knowing that they were untamable that's why he settled on a wilder hairstyle. As he stood there, his almost dry hair gave the impression that he had just gotten out of bed and he quite liked it, seeing the reflection of his smile in the mirror the moment he heard the sound of a chuckle in his room that wasn't his.

"Blythe, you moke. Are you ready to work with your Queen Anne today?" With his mind elsewhere, Gilbert didn't notice Sebastian step into his space, apparently never having heard of knocking on the door before entering a room, as Gilbert thought at the moment, noticing the dopey grin from his brother in the large reflector he was looking into. "Is she the reason you look like you just jumped out of the new issue of one of those fashion magazines Mary always reads? You know that you will only walk through the corridors of Global and Bookish and not across a catwalk, right?" The noise of his Trinidadian accent rang through the four walls of Gilbert's bedroom followed by his mirthful laughter. Having only nonsense in his head, he posed like a model, putting his right hand on the back of his head while the other was propped on his hip, batting his eyelashes in the act.

Ever since Bash knew that behind the author ASC was really Anne, he couldn't keep his mouth shut. In fact, it seemed like his teasing was only going to get worse, and Gilbert hated it, not wanting to imagine what it would be like to have Bash following his every move all day long, watching him with eagle eyes as he mooned over Anne, because that's exactly what they would both be doing, and Gilbert knew that as well as Bash. Having the certainty of what his feelings were that scared the hell out of him, he knew that all the things he was doing in regards to Anne were meant to make her his. But he wasn't ready to confess to his brother that all the feelings for her that were gathering in his heart was actually the feeling called love, at least not yet. As little sense as all that he felt made to him, he didn't care. He found something in her that he thought didn't exist, certainly not for him, and knowing that her soul understood his, that was all that mattered, for the reason that this was a first step to build what he dreamed of, something with her that he had never had with anyone else and wanted with no one else but his Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

Bash's teasing behavior was annoying, but Gilbert knew he couldn't escape his brother's mocking words that he shot at him. From the third drawer of his nightstand, he retrieved his black-rimmed reading glasses, which he usually wears only when studying, quietly hoping they would make him seem more educated to Anne, speaking to Bash as he put them on. "Didn't your mama teach you to knock before you enter a room?" His question came with a sharp look that he addressed to Sebastian through the mirror, seeing how he had his arms crossed over his chest and couldn't get that stupid smirk off his face that seemed like it was glued to it. "I could have been naked, Bash. Besides, aren't you supposed to be downstairs opening the store?"

The younger of the two turned to give Bash a pointed look, waiting for his answer, which fell from lips that held an amused smile. "First of all, you don't have anything I don't have. I'm a man, too. Still though, if I had seen your little Gilby, I most likely would have had nightmares for years but we are lucky that my timing was on point and you are dressed. I'm actually just here to tell you that I've been called to Delphine's Kindergarten again. Mary didn't know if she could tear herself away from her shift at the hospital, so I need you to open the store." He informed the younger, his eyes narrowed, the lifted corners of his mouth seeable to Gilbert, who watched his brother's lips continue to move. "Johnny Walters gave Dellie a Christmas card and she tore it up and poured the scraps over his head. Made him cry with it. Poor kid picked a real tough nut to crack with my little angel." His right hand lifted to his lips, muffling the laughter he released into his palm in the act of shaking his head to the left and right side in amusement.

Some days Gilbert wondered how anyone could be as cheerful all the time as Bash always was, secretly wishing to be blessed with that joy and happiness as well. Sebastian had everything a man could dream of in Gilbert's eyes, a beautiful wife who was not only the love of his life but also his best friend and a sweet daughter who was a ray of sunshine in this sometimes gray world. What he felt was not envy, it was more something that brought forth an ache for what he wanted to have one day, a longing that grew with the meeting of Anne, getting the feeling that she could become for him what Mary was for Bash.

The words Bash had uttered before were clearly unexpected information for Gilbert, the kind that fueled the hope in him to spend time alone with the enchanting wood nymph in the rooms of Global and Bookish, to take her into the magical world that the small cozy bookstore is for him. His hopes, however, were shattered when Bash recognized the dreamy look in hazel eyes. "Don't get your hopes up, bro. I already called Ruby. That means no alone time with your Queen Anne. This close to Christmas it's just too hectic in the store that we can use all the help we can get. But you can train Anne and show her around the shop, but keep your hands to yourself, Blythe. It's enough that you keep undressing her with your eyes."

What the hell did Bash allow himself to do, he didn't do that sort of thing, or did he? If his gaze was anything, it was admiring and, above all, longing, nothing more, nothing less. Gilbert's hazel globes rounded, glancing at Bash with wide eyes whilst he crossed his arms the moment he leaned against his nightstand. "I don't do that kind of thing." His protest was answered by Sebastian with a sound that was a mixture of a snort and a laugh. He raised his hands in the air, capitulating to Gilbert but not without continuing to tease him. Sebastian just couldn't get out of his skin, this brotherly teasing was just an elixir of life for him, without it he wouldn't feel like himself.

"Ok, ok...you may not undress her with your eyes, but I know for a fact that you dream of undressing her with the use of your hands and maybe even your teeth." The elder snorted, the expression of his dark brown eyes full of absurdity. 

  
  


"Bash!" Gilbert yelled, grabbing a pillow off his bed which he threw in the direction of his brother, who fell into a fit of laughter. The hazel-eyed young man could feel the warm sensation on the layer of his cheeks from the redness creeping up his face. Sebastian was not wrong in his statement but nothing in this world would ever make Gilbert admit it.

"Keep telling that to yourself but I know the truth. Hell, just look at your red face, Blythe. I saw it at dinner. You looked at her like she hung the moon and she wasn't entirely unimpressed with you either. You must have done something right, but I can tell you one thing. She's just as tough a nut as my little angel, Dellie. It's a strange coincidence that your Queen Anne is also ASC, you could almost call it fate. She's cute though and very pretty and I have to admit that you have pretty good taste, so don't screw this up, Gilby Goo" 

Sebastian was no fool and the chemistry between Gilbert and Anne was undeniable. Anne could be the one. She really could be the one to fit into Gilbert's life and first and foremost into his heart. There was this aura that surrounded both of them that had an energy that everyone could feel that night of the contract signing. Bash wished Gilbert to find in Anne what he himself had with Mary, but he also had the impression that it would be hard for him to capture Anne's heart, the longing looks she sent in Gilbert's direction couldn't change that either. Something was holding her back and Sebastian hoped that Gilbert would be able to break through that restraint in a way that an icebreaker does, melting her heart that was already thawing a bit.

Wearing a fat grin on his lips, Bash then made his way to the door. He was almost out of the room when he turned to Gilbert one last time, his hand positioned on the doorframe. "You didn't deny it, Blythe. You usually said she wasn't your Queen Anne when I called her that but not today. Just think about it. I know you have feelings for her and as much as I'd like for you to have someone like her by your side, I hope you'll watch your heart because even though I tease you a lot, you're my brother and your happiness is very important to me."

A warm smile lit up his face just as he drummed his fingers against the doorframe and disappeared, the whistling sound of him hearable just before he made his way to the kindergarten of his daughter. He left Gilbert with the knowledge to be in love with Anne behind. His happiness was in her hands, in the same way, his heart was, and that made him the most vulnerable he had ever felt. Vulnerability is the risk that comes with love, Gilbert was aware of that. However, he still hoped that she would keep his heart safe, knowing the softness of her hands in which he blindly laid the core of his being, and so the only thing he could do was to pray that she would gently wrap her fingertips around it, and that her grip would be firm enough to hold it steady without dropping it. There in her hands, his heart found a new home and he wasn't about to leave this place, at least not as long as he didn't know if he had a chance with her. In his head rotated a question he didn't have an answer to. _How should she protect my heart if she didn't even know that she is the keeper of it?_

Gilbert's sigh rang audibly through the room as he checked his appearance one last time in the mirror. From the drawer of his desk, he took the silvery keychain with the keys for the bookstore, clasping the fingers of his right hand tightly around it when he walked out of his bedroom, standing in the door from where he took one last look into his room, seeing the chaos on the floor littered with clothes. The world of his emotions was ruled by a similar chaos, only this one wasn't as easy to remove as the one in his room. "Damn, I'm so screwed! How could I fall in love with you, Anne with an E?" His whisper entered the bedroom where he locked it, the question that determined his thoughts at that moment. Swallowing his feelings that he had to keep hidden from now on, he let the door fall into the lock behind him to make his way downstairs where he was soon to meet her, the bewitching dryad with the name Anne, who had his heart without even having an inkling that it belonged to her.

* * *

The pathway in front of the house built from red brick stones, located on Montgomery Avenue hadn't been cleared of snow that morning, feeling ice-cold under Anne's black ankle boots, as she stood in the morning chill of this fine December day, witnessing the snow descending from cottony white clouds, from where they dropped gently upon her red tendrils that cascaded over her shoulders unprotected from the weather, reaching almost to the point where her waist merged into her hips. Above her, a horde of winter birds circled in the icy breeze of the early morning hours, watching the snowflakes pirouette in the wind while twittering commentaries on the dance of winter. Anne was warmed by her favorite coat, the deep emerald green of the fabric as much a stark contrast to the whiteness of the season as her vibrant red hair, which accepted the invitation of nature and danced with the kisses of winter in the gusty wind, swaying gently in the breeze that blew through Montgomery Avenue. Watching the snow falling so slowly from the clouds, Anne recalled the magical moment on the balcony of her hotel room, and how the flakes danced around her and him as softly as the fall of innumerable feathers while she was in his tight embrace, feeling the strength of his arms that felt more secure and warm than any other place she had ever traveled. All she could think about as the white flakes sank into her scalp, reaching their melting point there was Gilbert and his capacity to melt her heart because that was what he managed to do. He was capable of thawing the icebergs that piled up in front of the center of her emotions, not to the point that the entrance to it could be opened but he could create cracks in the ice and that made her more vulnerable than she already was, because it gave him a power that she gave to him out of control, guided by the crux of her being that wanted to let him in even at the risk of being hurt by him. She heard the loud booming of his heart as her head had rested on his chest that evening and for a moment she thought she was setting the pace of the rhythm of it like he did with hers.

Her warm breath hit the cold winter air. Sighing, she stood in front of the tall brick house where Global and Bookish's rooms were located, eyeing the building she usually only knew from images that Cole had shown her. The wide green painted windows seemed to match the red stones the house was built of very well, reminding her of Green Gables, the place that had become her home many years ago and which how it seemed, Gilbert had also known, who, as Marilla had confirmed to her yesterday after a phone call with her, is indeed the son of John Blythe, the man Marilla had always talked about in the past. It was a foreign notion for Anne to imagine Gilbert in the rooms of Green Gables but somehow, even if she didn't know why, the image of him fit in there as if he was a part of it. 

The large shop windows of Global and Bookish were decorated for Christmas, with snowy landscapes made of handcrafted snowflakes and cotton wool that adorned the place, curtains of lights hung down the glassy panes, giving off a cozy warm feeling. Above the door, painted in the same color as the window frames, the name of the bookstore greeted Anne in a golden bold lettering. Everything the redheaded author saw seemed inviting, leaving the impression that she could really feel at home there. She had given readings in quite a few bookstores in recent years, but this one was different. She could feel a certain magic even before entering the store that made her wonder if she had this sentiment because of the outward impression of the small bookshop, or if it was more because she knew who would be waiting for her behind the green lacquered door.

The stomping sound of her feet making their way through the deep snow echoed through the area as Anne took the last few steps separating her from the bookstore, holding a mug of hot chocolate cappuccino in her left hand while her right hand was buried in the pocket of her coat, the warm fabric of which could generate enough heat to warm her bare hand on this cold morning. Almost at the door, her phone buzzed unexpectedly in the inside pocket of the wool mantle she was clad in, causing Anne to roll her eyes the moment her right hand left the warm place in her coat pocket in order to unzip her anorak, revealing a beautiful green silk blouse. The gaze of ocean blue eyes lowered when she had pulled her phone out, looking at the display of the gadget on which a text message from Cole was flashing. Somehow being able to open the door to the premises of Global and Bookish with the last two fingers of her left hand, she entered the store where a warm wave of heat rushed towards her, bearing the odor of book pages while her attentiveness was on the phone in her hand and the messages from Cole she was reading in this instant.

  
  


[Cole 🌈 - 09.55 a.m] Annie Banannie🍌 are you there yet? How does your Gil look? Oh, I bet he looks fantastic. He's not only a snack but the whole menu. Take a picture of him for me, would you? But please remember, you are there to work so keep your hands to yourself. ☝

[Cole 🌈 - 09.56 a.m] You know what? Forget it...Do what you want with him. Grab the happy meal, Anne. I for myself know a few things that I would do to him and with him😏😏😏

Not seeing where she was going Anne quickly typed a reply which she sent, not taking her eyes off her phone.

[Annie Banannie🍌❤ - 09.56 a.m] I'm there! He's not my Gil so shut the fuck up Mackenzie. And don't worry I'm keeping my hands to myself. I think Gil would prefer that too😘

[Cole 🌈 - 09.57 a.m] Keep telling yourself that. I know what my eyes have seen. He wants you...Just imagine... him and you among the bookshelves. Have you ever had sex at a bookstore, Annie Banannie? 😏🔥

Anne ignored the last text message of Cole, what she couldn't ignore though was the imagination he had put into her head, and the heat of her cheeks turning red as her thoughts traveled to a sinful place, the deserted aisle of a bookstore, where she found herself pressed against a tall bookshelf while the tongue of the hazel-eyed co-owner of the store lapped over her body, his hot breathing tickling her skin in wild moments that made her feel every part of his constitution. "I hate you, Cole Mackenzie!" Anne muttered under her breath, glancing at her cell phone, which she clutched furiously with her right hand. It was enough for her that she encountered these fantasies at night, she didn't have to have them during the day as well, especially when she knew that it would always be just that, fantasies that would never become part of her reality. Gilbert Blythe certainly didn't think she was attractive enough to do that to her. She was almost certain of that. Almost!

Taking a sip of her chocolate cappuccino, she glimpsed with her right eye at the screen that was blinking a second time as she was walking further into the store, which seemed empty, at least Anne couldn't hear any voices of potential customers. She didn't know if it was the warm cappuccino sinking into the lines of her tongue or the heat in the store, or maybe it was the dirty thoughts wheeling in her head, but she was hot, so damn hot and all she wanted to do was run outside to cool off. So she turned around frantically to get some much-needed cooling down. But the walk outside was denied her, suddenly feeling a hard bump as she ran right into someone. All she noticed in the commotion was her hot chocolate cappuccino splashing onto her green silk blouse and a pile of books falling to the floor. Fuck!

"Oh no!" She gasped, seeing her mug land on the gray floor where the remains of her chocolate cappuccino formed a large brown stain in the light gray texture. Shocked, her left hand covered her mouth the moment her name rolled off the tongue that licked her skin in her vivid daydream a few minutes earlier, sounding like a heavenly prayer intonated by him.

"Anne!" 

The redhead's gaze fell on brown leather boots, then on tight black jeans that covered what looked to her like very well-toned legs. Her head lifted, seeing a white shirt clinging to a muscular-looking torso, over which was worn an unbuttoned shirt by the person Anne knew to be him, the one who had been creeping into her dreams for the past few weeks, replacing the nightmares about her past with dreams that were sometimes soft and warm, other times hot and wild. His voice that sounded raspy and soft at once sent a warm shiver down her spine, which like every other part of her body only started to feel hotter when she saw his bare forearms where his strong pulsating veins were seeable to her. She wondered if it was she who let his blood flow through those sexy veins at a rate that was visible to the naked eye. Swallowing hard, her gaze raised even higher to his face, and the luminous smile she saw there was enough to knock the air out of her lungs. What she was doing could definitely be described as staring, her mouth wide agape, examining Gilbert's handsome features as she tried to find her lost vocabulary. Why did he always succeed in stealing every word she'd ever learned?

"Gil!" She whispered. 

"Anne...hi! "I hope you didn't hurt yourself. Are you okay?... I'm so sorry, but I didn't even see you behind the stack of books I had in my hands. But it's so nice to see you. You're quite a punctual person." Gilbert nervously uttered, turning his gaze from the clock hanging above the wall by the counter where he saw that it was 10.a.m back towards Anne.

Then he flashed her that smile that had the capacity to melt any heart. How she would have loved to take her forefingers and bring them to his face to poke the two dimples created by that handsome curve of his mouth. Even more, she would have liked to place a kiss on the left and one on the right side before aiming her lips down the center at his. Gilbert Blythe was a truly handsome man, and the longer Anne circled in his orbit, the more aware she became of it. He robbed her of the ability to form a coherent thought when hazel eyes immediately connected with the eyes that held an ocean, following the natural force of magnetism found in both of them, shifting gravity so that everything was aligned with each other, their whole bodies, two souls and two hearts that could do nothing but follow the attraction of the person in front of them. The deeper his gaze bored into her eyes, sinking like a ship, sailing in the waters of her ocean, the greater the tingling within her became caused by the butterflies he gave her but which she would never free from her rib cage. Not as long as she could hold them back.

"Hot!" Anne suddenly blurted, voicing aloud the thoughts formed by the appearance of the young man before her. His hair looked so wild that she would have loved to throw her hands into the so-soft looking texture to weave her fingers through it. She cleared her throat, trying to cover her slip. "I-I I mean it's hot in here. Is it always this hot in here? My god Gil, why is it so hot in here?" Her face met the air she fanned with her hands at herself, a poor attempt to get rid of the blush she could feel all too well there the moment she had to witness how Gilbert's lips rose even more and his smile only grew brighter. He found this flustered state in which she clearly was very cute, hoping it wasn't the heat in the room that had made her blush, but him instead.

"Is that what's making you feel so hot, perhaps?" Laughing and feeling well entertained, he pointed to Anne's silk blouse clinging firmly to her round breasts, soaked in the dark liquid of her hot chocolate cappuccino, which was absorbed by the smooth fabric. "Otherwise, it can only be Bash's fault. He's always cold and that's why he keeps turning up the heat. There is nothing he hates more than the Canadian winter. It's something I probably will never understand, winter is such a beautiful season." He flashed her his million-dollar smile that turned into a smirk the instant he added something to his words. "Would you like me to do something about the heat in here, Anne?"

_Yes, please undress me!_ It was a small part of her cerebrum that held this wish, which Anne tried to ignore, a thought she would never utter aloud in her life, but which came up more and more often as soon as she was in his close proximity. She didn't know why she had these thoughts about him and it wasn't just a physical need for him, but one for everything he has to offer, his body, mind, and soul, and the more she tried to push it away from her, the more she had to think of it. She asked herself why she could not get him out of her mind, however, she found no answer. Maybe her mind just already knew what her heart was thinking and first and foremost feeling. There had to be reasons why she dreamed of him even though she was wide awake. After she met him three weeks ago, he crossed her mind exactly once and had not left this place in the foreground of her head since then. Out of fear Anne forbade herself to find out why he just wouldn't let go of her although her heart told her something contrary. 

Anne settled for an alternative answer, nervously brushing a loose strand of her red tresses off her face, her eyes transfixed at Gilbert who had his hands crossed behind his back, awkwardly swinging his body from one side to the other. He seemed just as nervous as she was. "No thanks!" She said, the corners of her mouth turning up, gifting him a sweet smile. "It's not that hot anymore so you don't have to worry about me. But I would appreciate it if there was a way to get rid of this blouse to let it dry. I don't think it would be so good to work with a dirty blouse. What would the customers think of me?" The sweetest sound ever heard in the corridors of Global and Bookish left her mouth, her giggle hitting the center of his heart, which leaped and pounded against his chest like the rush of stormy waves. The sound carried Gilbert along, who had the feeling of sitting on a soft cloud on which she lifted him, floating higher and higher while she, the star he admired, lit up his whole sky.

The medical student and co-owner of the bookstore he was standing in together with the wood nymph, who didn't know what she was doing to him with such comments, already had some ideas on how to get rid of her blouse. Maybe by unbuttoning each button slowly, in the process running his fingertips over her body, or maybe by pulling the blouse over her head in slow motion to memorize everything he would get to see. He could also just rip the blouse off her, in a way he did often enough in his dreams. Oh, so many possibilities, which unfortunately had to remain a figment of his imagination. At least that was his thinking, being of the opinion that he would never have a chance with her.

With Anne's arrival at Global and Bookish, the winter sun emerged in the white sky, which albeit it did not have enough power to thaw the snow, painted the winter day in a more beautiful picture than it already was. The store was lit with an incandescent glow, although the wide windows perfectly caught the daylight, prancing on the walls of the saleroom, which was warmly illuminated. Gilbert couldn't help but stare at the beautiful redhead, standing right opposite of him. What separated them from each other were less than three steps and all Gilbert wanted was to get an allowance to fill the vacancy between her and himself. It was a golden thing that she had, a majestic aura that surrounded her, making her a mystical figure for Gilbert, who could not believe that she was really supposed to be an earthling from the planet he was from. Her beauty, the blue of her eyes, the stars he admired, and the halo that the winter sun had cast over her flaming red hair, gave Gilbert the feeling of standing in front of a person who came from another world, made of stardust that created a miracle he believed in like nothing ever before.

Gilbert crouched down to pick up the books that fell to the floor when he collided with Anne from there, his fingers had to do something. To be faced with the pretty author brought out that itch, that tingle to reach out to her that every time she was near him made him want to pull her to him and kiss her breathlessly... just to show her what she meant to him. "Let me just pick up the books and then we can go upstairs. I'm sure I'll find something for you to wear." He then suggested, piling up some books without looking at her, giving his all to resist the gravity of her and the magnetism that came with it. How should he deal with her, knowing that his feelings run deeper for her than friendship does? What on earth was he going to do now that he knew he loved the woman who was about to crouch down too?

Joining the handsome young man on the floor, Anne wanted to help him, considering she wasn't entirely innocent in the whole mess, having no clue about the emotional and chaotic tumult Gilbert had to feel right now because of her. "Sounds good but let me help you first. After all, it's my fault that the floor looks like this now. Do you think the stain can be removed? I didn't do this on purpose, I hope you know that." The words that left her mouth were spoken in a hushed tone and only added to the crackling tension between the two. Gilbert nodded his head. She was so close to him that he could have counted each of her freckles individually if she hadn't moved. Again and again, stolen glances flew through the saleroom. She looked at him when she was sure his eyes weren't on her and vice versa.

"I know that Anne. I'm sure that our cleaning lady can remove the stain so don't worry about it. And I'm certain that you would never intentionally soil such a pretty blouse. It looks pretty good on you, if you don't mind my saying so." A compliment never hurt anyone, Gilbert thought to himself, hoping to maybe score points with her that way.

His hopes seemed answered by some higher power, coloring Anne's cheeks a pretty red that his words painted there. She looked down shyly, murmuring a whispered "Thank you!" so softly that Gilbert could barely hear it.

Four hands glided over the rough texture of the carpet, one book after another was placed in a pile by her and him. No wonder he didn't see Anne before they ran into each other, there had been a lot of books littering the grey carpeting. Their fingertips touched unexpectedly as they both tried to pick up the same copy of Maybe Someday written by Colleen Hoover, causing both to fall into the gaze of the other. Blinking his hazel orbs, Gilbert smiled warmly at her. The tips of his fingers felt like a feather dipped in liquid fire, tender and so soft yet so inflammable that this touch set everything ablaze, Anne's heart that felt to her as if it was made of paper was beating with flames in her chest, her thoughts turned to ash and dust, fogging her mind, for which absolutely nothing was comprehensible anymore. That touch as small as it was, his palm on the knuckles of her skin, also had an effect on Gilbert, who felt how warm she was, branding the layers of his hand like a tattoo of fire that was not only pricked into his skin but went so much deeper, burning the words on lips that were dry and hot, like a desert that had the oasis that could water him right in front of it, thirsting for a kiss from lips that began to move at that very second.

"Gil!" Anne breathed, looking deep into his eyes, seeing something there that she had never seen in a person before who had looked at her, an expression she couldn't make out and was so intense that her heart halted for a moment. Her left hand, which was resting on a book and was buried by his, was slowly pulled away by her. His gaze traveled from her hand to her eyes and back again, wanting to hold on to this moment as long as it would last but she parted from his hand, directing her words with a shy smile at him. "We should hurry. I suppose you'll have to open the shop soon, don't you?"

"Right!" That was all Gilbert could say at the moment as he gulped, bringing his hand to his neck, nervously scratching the back of his head while looking to the left and right. He appeared a tad desperate and even more nervous given that he felt insecure and exposed under her gaze and didn't know exactly how to behave towards her. Actually, the shop should have been open long ago. Gilbert was glad that Toronto was hit by a snowstorm and therefore no customers were waiting in front of the store yet, otherwise he would not have known what to do, his ability to think was lost when she arrived and collided with him. Hell, this is sure to be a long day, he thought. "Put the books on the counter and then we can go upstairs so you can change. Just let me lock the door for the time nobody is here. We don't want to be robbed while we are upstairs though there isn't a lot to steal here other than a lot of books."

His statement came along with a chuckle that resounded through the Global and Bookish's corridors just as he went to the front door of the bookstore, Ruby, who was supposed to work the morning shift with him, was still out of sight when he peeked out the window, watching how the snowfall grew stronger and the golden glow of the heavenly eye disappeared behind white clouds. Outside, the wind hissed, hitting the glassy window panes of the shop at a fast pace, making Gilbert grateful for having the opportunity to be in a warm environment instead of in the bitter December chill. He made sure that the "Closed" sign was hanging on the door and locked it. When he reeled around, Anne was bending down in front of the sales counter on the surface of which she had placed the books that were previously scattered across the gray textile that blanketed the store's ground. She had picked up something from the floor, but Gilbert couldn't see what it was from a distance. It couldn't be the coffee mug that fell to the ground in the middle of the collision, Gilbert had thrown it in the trash when he was on the way to the door. He just shrugged his shoulders, lowering his gaze to the stain caused by her chocolate cappuccino. The cleaner who cleans the Global and Bookish rooms every evening would take care of it, at least that's what Gilbert thought when his attention fell back on Anne.

"We can go upstairs now if you're ready. Maybe I can find something of Mary's for you to wear, assuming I can get into her and Bash's bedroom of course. If not, I guess you'll have to wear something of mine but don't worry...I know that no matter what you wear, you'll be the prettiest woman at Global and Bookish." 

He had the nerve to wink at the pretty redhead, his words, however, did not leave her unaffected because he saw a pretty blush on her cheeks that he was sure he had caused. Anne, on the other hand, simply couldn't do anything about his charm, as much as she wanted to. Everything he communicated, be it in spoken words or non-verbally with the exchange of those intense looks or the way it seemed that he wanted to hold her hand forever, made her thoughtful. But it couldn't be possible, could it? Could it really be true that he was flirting with her? 

"Sounds like a plan!" She twittered, her voice sounding an octave higher, still being under the impression of his apparent attempt at flirtation. But no law forbade her from doing the same thing just to see how it would affect him, right? "Hasn't anyone ever told you that you have a pretty nice style, Gil? I like the way you dress, especially the shirt you're wearing today. Only your clothes would certainly be way too big for me. Look at you, you're huge. It looks like you're going to the gym. I mean you're rather muscular-looking." She said giggling, complimenting him. She had to feel his intense gaze piercing through the layers of her clothing but it was a nice feeling, one she definitely could get used to.

He couldn't help but smile. He would never have expected to get a compliment from her that day. It felt good, almost causing his heart to explode that was filled to the brim with her. "Thank you, Anne! I don't have enough time for the gym between working here and medical school. Probably the muscles come from the work in a bookstore. Boxes full of books can be very heavy. I'm telling you, it's better than any workout...Many of the things I wear are from a thrift shop that Mary recommended to me at some point. I have a similar shirt in green, I bet it would look good on you with a belt over it. If you ask me I would say that green is your color. In fact, it's my favorite color, along with red."

Anne looked at him perplexed, raising her left eyebrow. "Red? How can you find such a color beautiful?" She wanted to know, not able to believe him. Perhaps the reason was simply her own disgust with the color. Her red hair has always been repugnant to her.

"Oh, Anne." Gilbert's raspy voice ran through her ears, pronouncing her name like the most heavenly prayer that ever fell from a believer's lips, yet he was a sinner whose only religion was her. "There are so many beautiful things that wear the color red. Just think of a sunset, a meadow full of poppies. It is a color that is warm like fire and tells of passion. I know so many red things that I love. My favorite jacket that I got from my father is red, your cheeks wear one of the most beautiful shades of red I've ever seen and your hair Anne, it's beautiful. Red is just a color full of beauty. "

Did Gilbert Blythe actually utter the word love in association with her? No, she must have heard something wrong or her mind was playing some evil games with her. The color was certainly not his favorite because of her. Why did her mind do that and why did her heart beat so fast at that thought? Anne could not face him, doing her best not to be carried away by the vortex of his attraction.

Gilbert regarded her from head to toe, imagining what she would look like in something that was his. It made his knees weak as if they were made of jelly, so he took a few steps back, leaning against a bookshelf so as not to sink to the floor. Anne, trying not to indulge in the attraction of him that was so strong, looked down at her black ankle boots when she recalled something that he had told her, the story that Bash and his wife Mary are his family without being blood relatives. She knew exactly that it does not matter whether the blood that flows in the veins is the same as that of the people he called his family, but that it depends on what is carried in the heart. She had the same thing with Matthew and Marilla. Her heart felt warm at the thought that, although he must feel so much pain in his still very young life, he found people who became heart relatives for him. Shaking her head, red fiery tresses were bouncing up and down in the act. She suddenly had to feel the coldness of an object that she had picked up from the floor a few minutes ago, black-framed reading glasses that she had found. Sticking out her hand, she showed Gilbert the visual aid, still not daring to look into his eyes, for fear of getting lost in them. She still felt so hot when she addressed him. "I found the glasses on the floor. Do you know who it belongs to?"

"Me!" replied Gilbert without thinking, annoyed with himself for not noticing all this time that his glasses were missing. The spell she had put him under must have been just too strong to see anything but her. "Those are my glasses. I must have lost them when you ran into me."

Anne's left eyebrow rose whilst she started slowly walking toward Gilbert, whose arms were folded across his toned chest, wearing a smug grin on his lips. "You ran into me!" She asserted, moving closer to him with each step she took. Anne's protest was met by a laugh from him.

"Am I? Or wasn't it more like you just weren't watching where you were going?" His question had just faded into the room when suddenly his lips and tongue went dry, his words stuck in his throat as he witnessed Anne put on his glasses. 

"Perhaps I would have seen better where I was going if I had been wearing glasses as well, Mr. Blythe." Her right hand then went to her mouth, releasing the giggle she couldn't hold back into her palm. Her words made him gulp. Did she really not know what she was doing to him with such behavior? 

"Yeah, perhaps!" He breathed, not capable of saying more than that. 

She was close to him, so close that he could feel her warm breath on his face and it made him crazy to have her so near to him without being able to pull her to his body. His heart skipped a beat when she took off his glasses and brought them to his face, her gaze fixed on him all the time, the lips that could not utter anything, his nose in which his inhalation got stuck as her thumbs grazed his temples in the act of putting on his glasses the moment her eyes settled on his that would always follow that magnetic field of hers. Fire in hazel orbs met the ocean in blue ones, but instead of extinguishing the blaze in the windows of his soul, she only fanned the flames that flickered so warmly. She was lost in him and he in her. Anne had the heart of gold, the sweetest soul he looked into, hidden behind the blue waves that held her eyes. Gilbert wondered how she did it to get him with a flutter of her eyelashes. Her eyes just had something fascinating, shimmering blue like the high seas, letting his heart beat with hers in perfect time, that pounded against her chest as his smile created the dimple on which she would have liked to plant a kiss. She didn't know what she was doing, all she was aware of was that she was following the voice of her heart, which whenever it came to him was too loud to ignore.

"You look good with glasses. Better than I ever could...I didn't even know you wore some. But the reason is probably that I don't know you well enough to know such things about you." A glowing smile illuminated her enchanting face after her utterance. Gilbert continued to lean against the green lacquered bookshelf, processing the compliment she had given him and made him blush furiously whilst he was inhaling the scent of lavender that mingled with the smell of the books, creating a mix that felt so intoxicating to him. The odor of bound paper was always his favorite, but Anne was successful enough to replace it with her own scent and he couldn't help but ingest it. Anne then took a few steps back and finally gave him some room to breathe again. As much as he loved the feeling of her closeness, it was hard for him not to be able to be as close to her as he would have liked. Anne herself didn't know how she could invade his space the way she did, but there was just something about him that always pulled her a tad closer than she wanted to be.

After inhaling the scent that tickled his nostrils and exhaling it back into the room, Gilbert couldn't help but stammer. Anne just had this effect on him, making him bold one moment and so unsure and nervous the next. "Y-y-you- looked good with my glasses. S-so pretty." A dreamy sigh escaped his lips making Anne wonder from where this reaction came. Somehow she couldn't believe that she could get something like that so softly exhaled breath out of him. He seemed so nervous and while she couldn't believe she was the cause of his condition, she couldn't help but find it cute. He tried to interpret her expression but all he saw was the curve of her mouth and a flicker in her eyes and so he kept talking. "I wear them mostly when I'm studying or when I feel like my eyes are tired. It helps me concentrate better and to focus more on my work... You know I want to get to know you better... so if you have a question, anything just ask ahead. I have no secrets. Ask my friends, for them I am an open book." 

Listening intently, Anne just nodded, admitting to herself that he looked rather handsome with glasses, a bit nerdy but quite attractive.

It was a half-truth that he had told her and came with a snicker. He had a secret that was buried deep in the chambers of his heart, so deep that he knew it would take a long time to reach the surface. He would tell her every secret, but not this one, how could he? How could he tell her that she became his greatest, the secret love he had never felt before?

Meanwhile, Anne began to look around the bookstore, followed with every step she took by Gilbert, whose hazel eyes bored into her back, watching her fingers graze the books on the shelves as she walked past them. "Do you have many friends, Gil?" She asked quietly, secretly thinking to herself 'many female ones?'. Somehow her subconscious wanted to find out if he often spent his free time with young women, which ones were probably prettier than her. Why did she think such a thing? The question was directed to herself, however, she found no answers to that.

The famous writer took a liking to Global and Bookish the more she took in the premises, perceiving the fragrance of the works in the tall green painted bookshelves that reached almost to the ceiling, scenting like a breeze full of magic that waited to be discovered hidden between the pages of all the immeasurable books. The store that had the power to take its customers on adventures unknown to them and gave them the opportunity to travel to places they could never travel otherwise gave Anne a warm feeling of comfort and coziness. The redhead beamed delightful, able to feel the magic and wonder that surrounded the small bookstore. She couldn't help but share her thoughts with Gilbert. "My Gosh, Gil! Global and Bookish is such a pretty place. I love that the bookshelves are the same color as the door and window frames. And the reading nook looks so cozy. I can imagine spending my whole day just sitting there and getting lost in a book. Everything looks so inviting and warm. It's just beautiful." Her gushing statement came along with a dreamy sigh. Somehow the shop felt like home to her, every place he was with her felt exactly like that and she didn't know why. 

"Yes, beautiful!" Whispered Gilbert softly to himself, so that the beauty for which the words were intended in truth could not hear them.

After a brief moment of comfortable silence, the sound of a throat clearing reverberated across the aisles of the bookstore Anne walked further into, not knowing where she was going, but feeling that the movement was doing her good. It seemed to help her not to be constantly dragged along by the pull of his attraction. "I would like to answer your other question..." Gilbert began, his arms crossed behind his back, not visible to Anne, who continued to walk ahead of him down the corridor of the section where the fiction books were situated. "To be honest, there are only three people I would consider my friends. Moody, Fred, and Ruby! I met them all in high school. So I've known them for a number of years. Moody can be very annoying. He's a bit like Jerry. Don't get me wrong, I didn't replace Jerry with Moody...I could never do that. Moody just has a similar character to him. Fred is more introverted and you can talk to him about anything. I don't know anyone who is as good a listener as he is. Ruby though is a sweet girl. Some might call her naive, but she just sees life through rose-colored glasses. In everything, she sees something romantic, but that's just how she is." He then had to shrug his shoulders before he added something to his previous monologue. "She works with us today, cause she helps out here a lot. You'll meet her later but don't worry...She is one of the nicest people I know. I'm sure you'll get along well with her."

"I hope so!" She wasn't able to say more to him. The fingers of her right hand were clutched around a book that was unknown to her at the moment she was rooted to the spot. Anne felt a sting run through her body that somehow painfully hit her heart at the mention of Ruby. Did he perhaps secretly feel something for this Ruby? The name alone had a pretty sound and Anne wondered if the holder of it was just as pretty. The feeling inside her felt strange and foreign, possessive in a way even though he wasn't even hers. Was that jealousy and if so, why did she feel it? Anne knew that he was someone who could have so many women and in a way she couldn't even explain to herself, this knowledge hurt her extremely. She wanted so much and couldn't have it and that was the saddest part of it all, although she didn't even know in what way she wanted it or rather him. All she was aware of was that everything she had to feel was confusing her. It awakened feelings that she had never felt before and those she had to forbid herself, as hard as it might be, to protect herself from getting her heart broken, knowing that if anyone was able to shatter it, it would be the young man that she had not been able to get out of her mind since she first met him. At the same time, she found the way he talked about his friends sweet. Hearing from his words how much they must mean to him, Anne wondered how it must feel to be friends with Gilbert Blythe, having no idea that she had crossed that line long ago.

She noticed him walking beside her at some point, eyeing him from the side, which he seemed to notice, opening his mouth to try to learn more about her. He felt like an angler, standing in front of the waters he knew had unfathomable depths he wanted to discover, fishing for information he knew he would only get in bits and pieces. "What about you? As a writer, you must travel a lot. I guess you've met a lot of interesting people at your readings that became friends to you, haven't you?" His question was answered with a shake of her head, red hair that had a glowing tone like it was made of fire moving in the air, almost touching and burning him as he took a step to the right to be closer to her.

"No!" Her voice came in a low whisper that sounded through the area. "Cole and Diana are my only friends but they are also the best I can imagine. They are my Kindred Spirits that I can always count on. Both are part of my family and I wouldn't trade them for the world." She informed him, the corners of her mouth curling up the moment she turned around, almost running a second time into Gilbert, who hovered over her like a cloud, covering her with his presence, the warm smile he wore on his lips only thawing the ice in front of her heart even more. 

"In a way, I'm surprised to hear that but then again, I'm not." 

"Why is that?" The redhead inquired, curiosity written all over her face as she regarded his pretty features. She felt small under Gilbert's gaze, which was intensely fixed on her face. It was tinged with heaviness but so warm, just like the sound of his melodious voice, sounding like the whisper of the wind rushing through the woods of Avonlea, a warm harmony that was soothing like a lullaby and became more and more the favorite melody of her heart. 

"Just because I travel a lot doesn't mean I collect friends like stamps."

"I'm aware of that. But well, you're a person who is always on tour and meets so many people that I thought anyone would be interesting enough for you to build a friendship or maybe even more than that but then I know you hide your identity from others. I wonder if whatever you want to call this between us would be different if we had met as Gilbert and ASC instead of Gil and Anne before." The thought had been on his mind since he knew Anne is the person behind the pen name ASC. What would their relationship have been like if they hadn't met on Avenue Road? They had this closeness and understanding of each other that made him feel like he hadn't just known her for three weeks, but his whole life, and that made him wonder if what was between him and her, however that could be described, would be the same if they hadn't met in that magical moment in the rain. His words reverberated in her head. 'or maybe even more than that' ...Anne didn't know if she got him right, wondering what he meant by that. Was it an attempt to find out if she was single or, much more, a normal try to find out more about her?

"No!" She then answered him with a determination to her voice that elicited a relieved sigh from Gilbert. "That..." She pointed her index finger first at Gilbert and then at herself. "... is something else. Don't ask me what it is, because I don't know that myself…But if there is one thing I believe in, it is that most things in life happen for a reason. Only why I should meet you, I have yet to find out."

He could live with that answer, in the end, he knew Anne needed time and maybe the fate he had begun to believe in with her entrance into his life actually had a plan for him and her. All he could hope for in the quiet chamber of his heart was that it would bring them together in the end. So he blinked, saving the words that could not yet be spoken by him. Actually, he wanted to tell her _'To find love in each other'_ , but what he said instead was something else entirely. "We have all the time in the world to find out what fate was thinking when it decided to bring us together."

"Does this mean that you still believe it was fate?" Anne's pretty face was lit by the dazzling smile that danced around her lips and for which Gilbert knew the best substitute, his own ones. Swallowing hard, he couldn't stop staring at her red cushions that looked so inviting, but for which he had not yet received an invitation. As hard as it was for him, he shifted his gaze at her eyes, which were ready to stumble into his. They stood in front of one of the many bookshelves, Anne almost pressed against it while he couldn't help but stare into the ocean he dived into and drowned. "Yeah!" He had to breathe, fanning his exhalation into her face, opening the pores of her skin that way. Goosebumps dotted the entirety of her body, from head to toe she felt the arousal of her skin, the expression of the language of her body that responded to him.

She had no choice but to admire the sparkle in hazel eyes that shone like stars in her sky, her gaze roaming over his face that she wanted so much to caress with her fingers and maybe even with her lips and the tip of her tongue. With everything he did, he touched her, stealing her breath every time anew. He put his hand not only on her mind but also on her heart, everything was covered by the things he did, the way he was. It felt safe to be so close to him, like her favorite wool blanket that she had gotten from Marilla, the feeling of home. He reached and touched her without using his hand. He didn't have to do much to get to the center of her existence, somehow it happened in such a natural way that she didn't even notice. But she was afraid to give away that place in her heart, after all, it had never been occupied by anyone. With velvet paws he crept in there, in a quiet way that made her unaware that he was suddenly nesting in it, carving his name into the core of it as hers was in the green umbrella he brought back to her. She was so afraid of being hurt by him, wishing not to fall for his charms. No one, however, could prevent it, it was long too late for that. Anne didn't know if the feeling within her that always simmered in her when he was with her was a crush or even more than that, and out of fear, she didn't want to find out either, at least not now.

It was rising, the temperature in the room of the bookstore. The air in the aisle was hot and charged with so much tension, his right hand propped against the bookcase, just above her head, his left hand stuffed in his tight pants pocket. His hazel orbs examined her face, an expression in them visible to Anne who couldn't quite grasp the meaning of it. Anne needed to escape this closeness in order to breathe, and so she ducked her head under the space beneath his outstretched arm, taking a step to the side and extricating herself from this situation. She had to shake her head that was fogged with all the thoughts that took away her vision of what was right in front of her, warm eyes in which a fire was blazing that she had lit, a smile on lips that seemed so inviting that she would have liked to let hers collide with them, but she couldn't. She couldn't allow herself to fall, not for someone with whom she was in a business relationship, even if she knew that in truth it was so much more than that and that she was already falling for him.

The urge to be close to him was huge, but it was wrong, so wrong considering that he was not only Gil, the handsome stranger she met in the November rain and with whom she has this connection that no words in any language of this world can describe, but also Gilbert Blythe, her business partner. Because she knew about the connection of her soul with his, constantly feeling that thread that was wrapped around her heart that drew her to him it was impossible for her to treat him like a business client. She wanted to know him, all the colors that are part of his life, the gray and black of sadness, and all the bright colors that bring him joy and she wanted him to know that too.

While Anne's mind was spinning, Gilbert clenched the hand that had just been propped against the bookcase into a fist. He was afraid he had done something wrong, seeing Anne build up a distance to him gave him that impression. Would she always run away from him? 

"Um!" It was the sound of her cough that made him look at her. She wanted his attention, then she should get it. She seemed hesitant at first, but then the words began to fall from her lips. "I think now that we both know we're going to be working together over the next few weeks, it might be indeed good to get to know each other better but I warn you. I am not an easy person. You already know a little about my past and that I am an orphan like you." Gilbert nodded, tilting his head to the side, gesturing with his hand for Anne to continue with what she had to say before crossing his arms in front of his chest. There was hope in his eyes, maybe she would actually start to open up to him. He was curious where all this would lead to. Her words hung in the room, which is why he was sure she had more to say, and indeed she did, just in this instant. "I find it hard to get involved with new people, especially men." She restarted, lowering her gaze to the floor. It was clearly hard for her to talk about it, as important as it was to her. Gilbert flinched for a moment, seeing the tenseness in her posture. It was so tough for him to see her like this, and for a moment he wanted to stop her talking so she wouldn't have to bring the old ghosts back out of the closet. Something haunted her, evil thoughts from the past. What did this soul have to experience? Gilbert wondered, feeling the urge to make it fade away, this dark spot beneath her heart that he had discovered a long time ago. 

"Anne you don't have to-" He tried to reassure her that it was fine with him if she dropped the subject. However, Anne disagreed, interrupting him with a stop gesture of her hand.

"No, Gil! Please let me keep talking."

Taking a deep breath, Gilbert had to scratch the back of his head, feeling a tad uncomfortable, because he didn't want to force her to do something that might cause her distress. But she seemed to want to tell him something about herself and he wouldn't hinder her to do so. "Okay! Then please continue."

A sigh escaped her, leaning against a bookcase on the opposite side of Gilbert, her hands buried in the side pockets of her open coat to ground herself. "My life and experiences I have had in the past years have made me suspicious of other people. You know that's why I publish my books as ASC and not as Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. I need time to talk about what happened to me. Time and trust. I want to get to know you. In ways I can't explain, I feel like I can trust you, Gil, but my layers can only come down in bits and pieces, and only when I feel ready. I hope you can understand that."

This intimacy that built up with every meeting and every glance of the two was impossible to explain or describe with any words, palpable for both of them the moment their gazes pulled each other into one another. It went far beyond a physicality and opened an emotional space that allowed her to peel off individual layers of her guards, much to his delight. It was a first step to dive into her world, the most difficult for Anne, who wanted to trust in her heart that told her that after all the disappointments he could be a man who was not afraid to discover her darkness and the deep abysses of her soul. He wanted to know the shadows and the light of her beauty with the same strong will and she wanted to let him. She wanted to make him a part of her life, only she didn't know what role he should take in it. He was more than a stranger, with the potential to become a friend, even if her heart was already falling hard for him, wanting more than just his friendship, but to allow this, more layers would have to fall and more stones of her walls would have to be torn down. A first step would always be followed by many more so that she could expose the world of her thoughts and emotions to him but her willingness to do so was fraught with so many fears. 

Fears that Gilbert could sense and wanted to try to take away from her. Smiling, he addressed his words to her, mirroring her attitude as he buried his hands in the pockets of his pants and leaned back. He was separated from her by two meters, but something made him feel closer to her than ever before. "Of course I do. I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for. No human being is without scars, no matter if they are visible or not and anyone who says otherwise is either lying or a lucky bastard who hasn't suffered yet. But that doesn't mean that pain won't come to them. Everything you want to share with me will happen at your pace. All I want is to show you that you can trust me and I know that takes time, so take as much as you need."

Anne's lips escaped a heavy sigh. "It's just hard to talk about everything sometimes. The only person who knows everything is Cole." She uttered in a hushed voice. 

A feeling of jealousy arose in Gilbert, clenching his jaw while he didn't know how to deal with that feeling. Something like jealousy was a fairly new emotion that he had never had to feel like this before. But this circumstance didn't hinder him from his attempts to help her. Sighing deeply he directed his attentiveness to his favorite writer, the one who unfortunately had to suffer so much in the past. "Nothing that happened to you, whatever that is, was your fault. I hope you know that. The only ones to blame are the people who thought they could hurt you. You don't deserve any of this and don't you dare think otherwise even for a second. You are so precious and beautiful, Anne. I hope you know that. Despite all the bad things that happened to you, you are such a ray of sunshine. You are special Anne, and I hope one day you realize that. "

Staring blankly into the emptiness of the corridor and moved by what she had just heard, there weren't many words Anne could find. "You're serious?" Her question was a short one, answered with even fewer words. 

"Yeah!"

The redheaded author gazed wide-eyed at him, still trying to deal with the feelings he had brought into the light. She was obviously flattered but much more touched by his understanding in regards to her emotional state and the trauma of her past. "I don't know what to say. I'm very bad at accepting a compliment. "

"Then just don't say anything, Anne. I just wanted you to know what I think of you. And all I think is that you are beautiful, inside and out."

How could she believe him when all her past experiences, especially with men, were so bad? His words flattered her, clearly recognizable by the alluring redness on her face, which put a knowing smile on Gilbert's lips, who gave himself a mental high five, clearly proud of himself. It was a smile that was brighter than any star in the galaxy and that shook her inner life. With Gilbert, Anne was struck by how badly she had been treated by other men in the past, especially by Roy, who only knew himself, never taking her thoughts or her feelings into account. Gilbert was so unlike any other men she ever met, so authentic and real, that Anne wasn't sure if such a human being could truly exist. With him, everything was just so much different, unfamiliar but beautiful, as much as it confused her. Everything with Roy felt loveless, every exchanged look and word, no kiss could come close to evoking in her what a single smile from Gilbert could. If a smile alone could make her insides quiver, what must it have felt like to be kissed by him? She could have experienced that feeling of his lips brushing over hers, and all that was going through her mind at that moment was the question if she would ever get that chance again to experience what it felt like to be kissed by Gilbert Blythe. Would she regret not letting it happen for the rest of her life? 

Except for Matthew and Cole, she has had only consistently bad experiences with men in her life, some hurting inner parts of her being and others even the outer ones, leaving traces visible in faded scars there caused by the whipping of belt buckles she was beaten with when she was a little girl. The blemishes of her epidermis that the shadows of her past had put there were the reason why she never really felt beautiful in her skin and even if she tried to learn to value her own self she could not do it well when it came to intimate physical contact with men, out of shame of the scarred shell of her being and out of fear of never being enough for someone. She lost her virginity to Roy, but sex with him felt as passionless and loveless as anything else she experienced during her relationship with him. In retrospect, she had the impression that he was only sleeping with her to keep her with him, considering that he found as little satisfaction in it as she did, there was no reason to think otherwise. She rarely climaxed with him, and if so, only with the help of her own fingers in her that were more able to bring her over the edge as he ever could. And although she loved him as little as he loved her, she couldn't help but feel used. It was difficult for her to build trust in the male gender, to let someone get closer to her because the bad experiences just weighed so heavily on her. She only knew love in the form of the parental love with which Marilla and Matthew showered her and the beautiful deep friendship of Diana and Cole. Sometimes she wondered if she would ever be fortunate enough to be completely loved by someone, devotedly and for the person she is, who loves her imperfections, and is ready to map out the scars of her past with gentle caresses. A man who runs the fingertips of his hands over her body and uses his loving lips to brand her skin with nothing but shapes made out of love. The moment lips worth kissing began to move one more time, she seriously wondered for the first time whether these lips would be able to draw hearts on her skin.

"We need to open the store soon. Bash will freak out if he comes back and the store is closed. I guess the blizzard was probably the reason that there is no sign of Ruby and the customers yet." Gilbert told her, giving her his typical smile that was able to put one on her lips as well. 

The smile he gave her spoke of hope that he had cracked her shell and something he was sure was love. Because he knew it was that monumental feeling that is groundbreaking, can part seas and set fires, he was aware that from now on her happiness would be more important to him than his own. Anne gave him a smile back, grateful for his complete understanding. Gilbert Blythe was not only a rather good-looking young man, but apparently also one with an extraordinary character and good manners, someone who was too good to be true. The clapping of his hands suddenly echoed through the area, startling Anne for a moment, who put her hand on her green blouse, on which Gilbert's gaze fell.

"That's exactly what we need to take care of right now," He said, pointing his index finger at her green blouse where he saw the large dark stain, brown chocolate cappuccino soaked up by the silky fabric that he would have loved to rip off her body. "Let's get upstairs and get you out of that wet blouse. Shall we?" He chuckled walking toward Anne to whom he held out his arm, her eyes traveling from his face to the bare arm that revealed his strong and so damn attractive veins. Looking aside bashfully because her thoughts were running wild again, she placed her hand on his forearm that gave off so much heat, burning the imprints of her fingers that gently clasped the lower part of his arm, making it possible for her to feel his pulse racing, a side effect caused by the touch of her skin against his.

"We shall! Thank you Gil for everything but especially for your understanding. My blouse is honestly not that wet anymore. Like I said, it's pretty hot in here." The red-haired author had to giggle, fanning her face in jest. If she was hot, it was only because of his closeness and presence. She thought he had to be one of those people who could walk into a room and directly grab everyone's attention with his aura. There was just something irresistible about him. "But I'd still prefer to be able to wear something clean."

Anne's hand that was resting on his right arm was suddenly covered by his left palm whilst he was grinning at Anne who averted her gaze from his hand, looking at his lips, which began to move. "Then follow me, Queen Anne!" 

His words put an amused smile on her lips that danced on her face like the tiny orange clusters Gilbert liked to have traced with his fingertip, drawing constellations that dotted her milky complexion. "Lead the way, my Knight in shining armor." Her laughter rang through the room as she felt like she was being treated like a queen who had found her Prince Charming. What a shame that fairy tales are only fiction, just like all the stories she had put to paper over the years. Like everyone else, she wanted nothing more than her own happily ever after.

Gilbert's next move came as a surprise and was not at all expected by Anne, his hand covering hers reaching for her hand, guiding it to his lips from which a kiss, as soft and light as a snowflake fell on the knuckle of her middle finger, his gaze fixed on Anne as blue eyes shot wide open, seemingly shocked by his bold action. "Your wish is my command, my lady." He whispered before placing a second kiss on her hand and making his way up with her, never ceasing to let go of her hand whose fingers intertwined with his somewhere in the middle of their way up.

One look from him was enough to tell her. "You're safe with me." And so she followed him, the fairy tale prince, who looked as if he had come out of a novel and dared to climb the walls in front of her heart, on which he placed a flower. Together they climbed the stairs up to his kingdom. Deep inside her, the feeling stirred to follow him wherever his path would lead him, guided by the compass in the center of her essence that indicated the direction, while her heartbeat boomed louder against her chest with each step. Having no idea what adventures the day would have in store for her, she squeezed his hand, wearing a smile on her lips that was returned by him and for the first time, she didn't care what her mind whispered to her, warning her not to drop her layers in front of him. Her heart decided for her and that wanted to know him better and get closer to him, in what way only time could tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Gilbert and Anne get to know each other better, and Anne wears Gilbert's clothes. She meets Mary and a little girl who believes in fairies!


	8. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert is walking down Memory Lane with Anne. The red-haired author offers him her friendship, but then realizes that maybe it was a stupid choice she made. She wears Gilbert's clothes and meets Mary and a little girl who believes in fairies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, dear readers!
> 
> I warn you in advance! This chapter is long. Maybe even the longest I have written so far. I'm not quite sure of that. Please let me know if it was too long for you after reading it and if you'd prefer me to reduce the more poetic parts, because those are usually what make my chapters so long. It's just the way I write and I'm never sure if it might not be too much for the readers of this story. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the chapter despite the length! Feel free to leave a comment! ❤

The snowstorm intensified outside the building made of red bricks on Montgomery Avenue, bordering on The Language of Flowers, the little flower shop where Sebastian Lacroix bought a red rose for his wife Mary every day for the last almost six years, and the cute French bakery called For Goodness Bake, which supplies Global and Bookish with fine pastries on a daily basis to provide all the bookworms who choose to read their newly acquired books right after the purchase in the bookshop's cozy reading corner with something to snack while they lose themselves in new fairy tales and adventures. White silvery flakes, floating soft as feathers, swirled in the crisp coldness of this December morning, coming along with icy gusts that hissed through the alleys of Montgomery Avenue accompanied by the tune of chirping winter birds that had stretched their wings wide open above Toronto, circulating in the foreground of the white-hued celestial sphere while others of their kind sought a place in the bare branches of the trees that fenced the area. Blackbirds, jackdaws, and magpies serenaded winter, admiring the coldest but most magical of all seasons as they became witnesses of how the icy kisses pirouetted elegantly in the wind to the harmony they chirped. 

Although the snow fell from the clouds with a calm quietness that was inaudible to the individuals roaming the asphalt jungle, it was noisy on the city streets, stillness being foreign to the metropolis. Impatient motorists honked their horns that resounded loudly throughout the alleyways, seeming surprised by the blizzard that prevented them from taking a step forward. Others muttered expressions of annoyance to themselves, freezing as they trudged through the snow that covered the otherwise grey asphalt with a brilliant white blanket.

Gilbert didn't care about any of that, he was in a warm environment, being inside the well-heated brick house where the temperature that surrounded the place was nothing compared to the feel of her hand in his, feeling against his palm and the lines of his skin to him as if it had been made to be held by his... it just fitted perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle that was meant to fill the gaps and vacancies the other one had. The touch burned his skin, Anne's delicate fingers filling the hollow between his as the sensitivity of the contact imprinted itself into his layer like ink, creating a poetic composition that needed no words, the language of souls and hearts was enough to put letters into each other's flesh, sinking deep into the center of their existence, branding a G into her heart and an A into his. Solely with her hand in his did he truly feel at home for the very first time. It was such a preposterous notion, considering that Gilbert was at home, the place where he lived, had his room where the bed was, in which he spent his nightly hours, sometimes wide awake, brooding over his feelings and thoughts because he once again had a nightmare about his father, his adolescence in Avonlea, all the achingly thoughts that on some days are still able to pull remembrances fraught with pain out of the memory box buried deep in the chambers of his heart. It was illogical and absurd to call her touch home, everything he felt was nonrational, but at the same time, it just felt right.

His hands had held many things in his life, first editions of books that had a high materialistic value, Dellie shortly after she was born and thousand times after that, the little bundle that became a ray of sunshine for his life, making the darkness that haunted him since his father's death brighter with her presence. So many things of valency were in his palms but holding Anne's hand however was by far the best and most precious thing he had ever been allowed to hold, partly because it was the hand of the woman he loved, he knew that now, but also because it was a sign of trust. She could have let go of his hand, but she didn't, instead she held it tightly, wearing a smile on her lips the moment he dragged her upwards that told him she felt safe with him.

Standing in front of the locked front door of the flat located above the rooms of Global and Bookish, Gilbert had to sigh for the reason that he had to let go of her hand that he desired to hold for as long as she would allow it, with the use of his sweaty right hand rummaging in the pocket of his tight black jeans from which he fished out the silvery shining keyring, the door opener to the place that once became his home but never quite could make him feel at home there. Sure, he felt comfortable and safe there, but in all the years he lived there now, he never once got the feeling that the grey stone house on the outskirts of Avonlea could evoke in him to which the apple orchard belonged that had been his favorite place during his childhood. The beautiful orchard was his refuge where for a few hours that was mostly spent with reading under the apple trees he could forget the obligations he had at that time, all the fears and the question of when death would come for his father, disappeared for some minutes and hours as he jumped into new adventures, finding them in books he loved to read under one of the many apple trees that cast a shadow over him that he loved, unlike the other dark clouds that life had laid over him. As strange a feeling as it was for him, in a way for which he could find no explanation, he had the awareness that Avonlea would always be his home, even if the thought of it hurt tremendously. 

His hand trembled as he put the key in the lock, missing the feeling of her hand that carried him to the highest heights, locations far away from this world, to the silver lining he found with her help, at the same time her hand grounded him, being an anchor that refrained him from traveling too far with his thoughts to places he did not want to visit, not now and maybe never again albeit he knew he couldn't avoid it, especially when these places are the home of the woman who holds his heart. With his foot he then pushed the entrance to the apartment open, wearing a big grin on his face that he could not get rid of since his brave decision to reach out for her hand. So far there were some contacts between him and her, the ones that touched heart and soul, spoken with voices and glances, some of them direct ones while others were stolen ones, the embrace surrounded by snow, tender kisses on cheeks, fleeting touches that disappeared as quickly as they came, even if the after-effects remained much longer. Holding her hand was the longest contact he exchanged with her so far, the calmest with a simplicity that made holding her hand the most beautiful and gentle touch he had been allowed to feel since she became part of his life.

Gilbert stepped into the apartment, first taking one step over the threshold, then the next until he was standing in the middle of the hallway, stretching his arms wide open, turning to Anne who was standing nervously in the doorway, smiling shyly at Gilbert, her head lifted, admiring the handsome smile of his that made the butterflies in her stomach that she was trying with all her might to hold back grow louder. The velvety of his voice that echoed through the hallway of the apartment was not much help in bringing under control what was happening inside her, being perceived warmly by her ears that felt as hot as all the rest of her body.

"Ta-da! Welcome to the Blythe/Lacroix Residence. Please make yourself at home." 

He flashed her his prettiest smile, one that was enough to light up the hallway, the walls painted a forest green against which the daylight shone that fell into the room from a single window at the end of the hall. To Anne, who dared to step into Gilbert's territory, taking a moment to let everything sink in first, the entrance hall of the apartment seemed fresh and inviting, furnished with white house fittings, seeming just like a place where someone immediately feels at home as soon as they enter it. On the left side of the narrow corridor, there was a wooden chest of drawers, glazed with a white primer under which the grain of the wood visibly stood out. Above it hung a golden mirror in the shape of a sun, creating a pretty contrast to the deep greenish wall color. Parts of the linoleum floor were covered by a light brown carpet while on the walls hung a lot of pictures, framed in golden picture frames, which the author would have loved to look at more closely. Interested, she looked around the foyer, her gaze roaming the room. On the right side were three rooms, all with their doors closed, painted with white lacquer. Anne would have liked to know what rooms were behind the doors but wasn't brave enough to ask Gilbert, for fear of appearing nosy and rude otherwise. At the end of the hallway was a staircase that led to the top floor of the brick house, the banister made of a light shade of wood that was not painted with paint, appearing natural.

It was his voice that caught Anne's attention, her deep blue eyes fixed on Gilbert, who was nervously fiddling with the keyring in his hand, needing something to keep from reaching for hers again. 

"I think it would be best if we first see if we can get to Mary's closet." He suggested, approaching the stairs, which were built entirely of light wood. Anne thought it was oak or maple, thanks to Matthew's hobby of carving familiar with various types of wood. She liked what she saw of the place so far, everything gave her a warm and cozy feeling, whether it was the cute bookstore in the basement or the apartment she was in with the handsome young man who changed the whole world of her feelings over which she lost control the more time she spent near him. And if there was one thing she hated, it was losing control of herself. 

"This is quite a nice place. Have you lived here for a long time?" She asked him curiously. Her compliment made the smile that just wouldn't leave his face grow even bigger. He was glad she was comfortable within the walls he called home, even if it didn't quite feel like it to him most of the time. He stepped onto the first step of the stairs, his right hand clinging around the railing, his palm sliding over the wooden surface. It had a gentle effect on Anne, who wondered what it would feel like to have the palm of his hand brush over her entire body, covering the blemishes of her shell with his touch. She knew now how warm the layer of it was, still feeling the burn of heat on her hand that she had buried in her coat pocket.

His touch was like liquid fire that passed over the heart line of the hand that was in his grip a few moments earlier, dipping there into her pores until it sank into the epicenter of her heart, which was never so gently touched as by the hand in which it wanted to be placed. With him, everything felt so good, gentle and safe and a voice that sounded like that of her heart whispered the soft desire to find a place right there, in his strong hand that had held hers as if it were the most fragile thing he ever held, the crown jewels of a majesty, the most expensive work of art in the world and the finest china, the way he held it, her small hand, made her feel like all of it. Somehow she couldn't help but suddenly long for the hand that slid over the banister as she followed, trailing behind him. Walking a close distance behind Gilbert, she tried not to focus her gaze on his backside but it was hard for her, having the roundness of his butt in her field of vision, dressed in the black jeans that accentuated all his assets and it drove her crazy, wearing a deep blush on her cheeks that he, to her luck, couldn't see. What happened to her? Why did she feel all these things? These were all questions she couldn't find answers to. 

Gilbert had to clear his throat, his voice raspy-sounding and a little self-conscious as he addressed his words to Anne. "Um, depends on what you mean by long." He began, climbing the stairs further up, his right hand clinging a little tighter around the banister while his other found a place in the pocket of his jeans. He felt Anne's gaze boring into his backside, drilling through the layers of his clothing. His skin prickled and burned like a sunburn, but what else could he expect. He was certain that he had the sun with him and the rainbow that colored his world, all the lights that were warm and somewhat fiery, giving him what he longed for all these years, a warmness that felt homey. "If you want to know exactly, we have lived here for six years. From the money my father left me after his death, I paid half of the purchase price for this building. The other half was paid by Bash. He didn't want to work on the ship anymore that's why at some point we decided together to open a bookstore and so Global and Bookish was born."

His utterance had just left his mouth when they reached the upper floor where the color of the walls changed from the forest green that painted the walls downstairs to a light brown tone, a cappuccino brown shade, much to Anne's amusement, whose gaze lowered to her silky green blouse, seeing the dried stain there that her chocolate cappuccino had left there when she bumped into his muscular body. There wasn't much furniture in the upstairs hallway, two white dressers on each of which stood a golden vase of red roses, some of which looked fresher than the others. Otherwise, a cream-colored carpet decorated the hallway where there were two rooms on the left side, three on the opposite side and one at the very end of it seeable, all doors painted white as the ones on the first floor. Framed art prints and photos littered the walls, hanging in white picture frames there. Everything seemed somewhat more vibrant than in the lower area of the apartment, but Anne liked it just as much.

Anne's interest was piqued, her expression spoke of curiosity that was written all over her face, which was still wearing the pretty reddening he had put there. "But Gil, were you already capable of doing business back then? I mean you're not that much older than me." She searched for answers that she knew only he could give her, following him further into the hallway where she started to inspect the numerous photos on the wall.

Gilbert had to chuckle. His memory took him back to his life six years ago, to his new start in the Canadian metropolis. He was young but he knew what he wanted, he always knew that, and when he turned around and saw Anne admiring the photos on the walls, he became aware of this even more. "We had our methods, Anne." He stated, slowly nearing the beautiful redhead. With her arms folded behind her back, she stood there looking at the many photos hanging by the wall and it made him want to see her face framed in a picture frame there someday, his heart had already captured it, maybe a camera would do it someday as well. "I was 17 at the time, so I wasn't allowed to enter into any business contracts. Bash however was old enough to do that. The moment I turned 18 my name was added to the contract and I became the co-owner of Global and Bookish. The rest is history".

The heavenly sound of her cheerful laughter echoed down the hall. Gilbert stood close behind her, towering over her with his frame, so close that she could feel his breath against the back of her neck whenever he expelled his exhalation, initiating an explosion below and above her skin where goosebumps dappled her surface. The desire arose in her to fall back, making his strong arms the target where she wanted to land. Instead of following her desire, she gently pushed her right elbow back, nudging Gilbert harmlessly in the stomach, the muscularity of which she felt with the impact of the bend of her arm against his torso. 

"You sneaky little bastards." She couldn't help but giggle, trying to muffle the sound of it with the palm of her hand that she had heaved to her mouth, covering lips he hungered for to kiss. He had to laugh, his amusement hearable for her. It was playful how she treated him and somehow as natural as if she'd been doing it all her life, making Gilbert feel like he was on the right track with her. The tone of her giggle faded slowly and she wanted, no, she had to find out more about this man who was so different from everyone else and so she followed her curiosity, directing her words to him anew. 

"Now tell me about the ship you mentioned."

A ravishing smile illuminated his handsome features. "That's an interesting story we don't have enough time to tell in detail. Sorry!" His hand raised up though she wasn't able to see it, her eyes transfixed on the light brown colored wall and all the photographs of him and the people who he called his family. 

"Then give me the short version. You're a good storyteller and you got me hooked so spill. Pretty please, Gil." The author's words were pleading as she averted her gaze from all the photos and swirled around, knowing that the first thing she would look into would be his eyes. 

It was not his eyes she met, however, but those extremely hard muscles of his torso. A second time that morning she collided with him, his attraction obviously so strong that it pulled her closer to him than thought was possible. It was as if he was controlled by some type of force when his hands went automatically to her back, holding her in a protective grip. "Sorry, I must have tripped over my own feet." She apologized bashfully, her voice strained as she muttered her words. How could this have happened to her for the second time that day? Avoiding to follow the pull of his gaze, she gave her all not to lift her head, her eyes focused on his trained chest the moment she had to feel his hands slowly let go of her back. 

He took the first one, then a second step back, having to build a distance to escape her attraction. Holding her in his arms made him want to pull her closer to him, he wanted nothing more than to cradle her in his arms, inhale the scent of lavender and tell her 'This is a safe place for you', but he wasn't capable to do anything he couldn't be sure she would want. So he stepped back so as not to invade her space, even though he found it hard to withstand her magnetism, but he knew it was the sensible thing to do. This connection to her went so much deeper than the desire for her lips or her touch, he wanted to explore her in her entirety, find out what her dreams were and what fears she had, but to be able to do that he had to give her room to breathe, not knowing that Anne would have preferred to never find her way out of his arms again.

"It's fine, Anne! He assured her, scratching the back of his head, a gesture that Anne saw quite often in recent times, giving the impression that it was a nervous habit, but why he could be nervous, that did not occur to her. His lips curled up, showing the happy curve that made her insides quiver whenever he gifted it to her. "You seem to be not only curious but clumsy as well. Twice in one day, Anne? Good thing you didn't have a hot drink in your hand this time."

She crooked her head to the side, her right hand resting on her hip, a playful smile dancing around her lips. She didn't know how he did it, but no matter what he did, he always managed to make her smile. "Is my noisiness a problem for you, Mr. Blythe? I told you I wanted to get to know you better, didn't I? She asked jokingly, trying to stifle her laughter, which she only half succeeded in doing.

"You did, and I'm very happy about that." 

It was the truth, he was happy, because the newfound information that she wanted to know him must mean that she had seen something in him that was worth discovering, and if she wanted to dive to his deepest depths, he would never hinder her from doing so. He would willingly bare his soul and heart if it would bring Anne closer to him in the end. Her soul danced to the same rapid beat as his, he knew that from the very first moment and everything told him that he had found his missing piece that day in the November rain. After his father's death he felt incomplete, a part of him got lost with his departure from this earthly world, and it would never return, he was aware of that, but even if a vacancy would always remain in him, a black hole that no one could ever close, he never felt more complete than with her. His heart was shaped just like hers, like a mountain that every person who wants to reach it must climb. Within a short period, she managed to clamber up to its peak and he hoped with every bone of his body to eventually plant the checkered flag in her heart and reach it like she did his, no matter how painful it might be, knowing that the conquest of her heart would require lots of fighting spirit. That and patience to gain her trust and for that, he had to deal with her heart as he did with his own, with caution and sensitivity. If there was anything that could break in the blink of an eye it was the human heart and because he felt that hers had been broken several times already, he promised himself to grasp it gently and to take the time and patience it would need for her to open up to him. 

To control his joy and not appear like a complete fool, not keen to risk revealing too much about his true feelings and intentions, he needed a brief moment to get his emotions under control, seeing the expectation her eyes held as she searched for answers, her gaze piercing into him. Gilbert wanted to give her what she was looking for, if it were up to him, he would grant her all her wishes. With his back, he leaned against one of the dressers while thinking how to give her a short version of the story that had fundamentally changed his life. However, in the end, he tried anyway. "Well, if you have so many questions, I'll give you some answers." He started, his hands folded to ground himself. He needed something to moor himself and since he couldn't just run into her arms, the place that felt like his anchorage, his hands remained the only option.

"After the death of my father, I didn't know where to go. Alberta didn't feel like home. It's just the place where I was born and my father died and it will never be more than that for me." 

His words made Anne gulp, her expression changed after his statement, from interested to somehow sad, her eyes lost their glimmer the moment she shifted her gaze crestfallen to him. The bluest eyes he was allowed to look into now held a sadness and melancholy he was familiar with and had felt often enough. Anne wondered what she had done to be bestowed with his trust. It had to be hard to open up, after all, because it made one vulnerable, not that she found Gilbert vulnerable, quite the opposite. He had not only this physical strength but also a mental one and as much as she was ashamed of the thought, she felt a little envy, for the reason that he was ready to unload all the feelings and experiences that must have hurt. He did the one thing she felt far from ready to do. He was an archaeologist who took a shovel in his hand and began to unearth the story of his life that she wanted to read so much, as if it were an old skeleton that he dug up from the depths of the soil under which it had been buried for so long to present to her, like an exhibit that taught her in a way that trust is a monumental aspect in relationships, a key that he put in her hand because he felt she would keep it safe. And she couldn't help but feel truly honored to hold that key although she didn't know what kind of relationship it would be the door opener to.

Sighing, Gilbert continued with his story, even if it would open old wounds but if he wanted to be rewarded with her trust someday, he had no choice but to rip off the band-aid stuck on his damaged heart to allow his wounds to breathe, hoping that someday the time would come and she would kiss them better. Anne listened attentively, her eyes wide open, as well as her ears, looking at him with compassion but without appearing pitiful, which he was quite grateful for. Taking a deep breath he went on with what he wanted to tell her.

"The memories of Avonlea were too painful to return to. I needed to do something different, see new places to get away from all the grief I felt. As you can imagine, I could not escape from it. It chased me but it got better when I met Sebastian during my one-year internship with the Canadian Red Cross on the SS. Primrose, the ship I mentioned. Our work took us all over the world and most of the time it consisted of helping people in crisis areas, providing first aid, and such things. We saw famine and natural disasters, people who were victims of civil wars and so much more. The world can be a horrible place. Let me tell you that."

He had to sigh again, seeing all the horrible images in his mind's eye that were engraved in his memory, little children on the verge of starvation, emaciated to the bones, so much so that they visibly protruded under their thin skin, people crying for help, because they or one of the people they loved was buried under the wreckage of collapsed houses caused by nature shaking the earth, civilians who did everything possible to survive amid war but still fell victim to the shots from the guns pointed at them. All the suffering was so unjust and horrible that it was deeply burned into Gilbert, so much so that it still hurts to think about it. Gilbert was young when he did the internship, a tender 16 years old, and it was macabre as someone who was grieving to travel to regions of the world where suffering was the order of the day. He didn't know why he was allowed to go on the trip, but as horrible as everything he saw was, he was glad in retrospect to have had the experience, which matured him and gave him a new sense of gratitude toward life. 

Anne could feel how much everything affected him, noticing it in the way he frowned, losing the light that had illuminated his handsome visage, the smile on his lips that disappeared, turning into a straight line. Suddenly he appeared older, more mature than a moment before. It seemed that he was even stronger than she thought he already was. Without thinking, she decided to walk over to him, mirroring his posture while she leaned against the dresser as he did, standing in close proximity next to him whilst she reached out her left hand to his right one, covering it with her soft palm, which at that moment was the warm balm for his soul. Sometimes the gentle touch of a hand or a word is the best medicine a bruised heart can get, the touch rushing through his veins, quickening the beat of his heart, pulsating palpable in his chest, fueled by the temperature her hand gave off and it was enough for him to fall even more for the redheaded author.

Her voice came softly as she opened her mouth. "That's quite the story, Gil." 

The warmness of her exhalation met the silence of the foyer just as she squeezed his hand, closing the hollows between his fingers with hers. The skin to skin contact, one that was initiated solely by her, made every pore of her epidermis tingle. The surface of his hand, the rough but also tender contact evoked a feeling in her that she could not measure, searing into her skin that showed the writing of her heart. It was a sign, inaudible words of her crux that desired to tell her something that she was not ready to interpret, her skin erection was a reaction that didn't lie, but the truth of which she refused to discover. She was blind to what was going on within her, and although the layer of her skin was written in a script that most people could fathom even with closed eyes, she lacked understanding simply for the reason that no human ever managed to cover her skin with goosebumps. Sure, books could do it, stories that were emotional and moved her to tears, likewise a cold breeze or a rain shower. She knew what those little pimples that littered her entire complexion were. Gilbert, however, was the first person to make it possible for her hair to stand up to the sky, and it wasn't the first time he had gotten that reaction out of her.

Trying to maintain her composure, acting as if he had no influence on her, she lifted her eyes wanting to look at him when she talked to him. As so often when she was with him, she noticed that his warm hazel orbs were fixed on her the whole time and she wished to know why. because it made no sense. Why should someone like him seek her gaze like a moth the light of a flame?

He squeezed her hand back, the tips of his fingers brushing over hers the moment he blinked, a sign of his gratitude, which Anne returned with a nod before she restarted with what she wanted to tell him. 

"Seeing all those things must have been awful. I'm glad there are people like you who make decisions like that every day because they want to help others. You are truly a man who is among the better of his species, Gilbert Blythe." Her utterance was accompanied by a sweet smile that changed his world every time it lit his sky.

Gilbert studied her face that hovered so close in his orbit, bearing all the stars he regarded with admiration, his wide eyes trailing over the mesmerizing orange clusters that adorned the milky complexion of her beautiful profile. He wondered how a person can be as breathtakingly beautiful as she was. Probably no one would ever be able to answer that question. Did she even know how beautiful she was? Has anyone ever told her what a shimmering jewel she was, a beauty that, like the white snowflakes that gently descended from the clouds, was formed from nothing but uniqueness? She was the shooting star in his universe, something that seems so rare and some never get to see, the spark full of hope that crossed his heart and set it in motion. She ignited an eternal flame, flipping a switch in him that illuminated all the dark chambers of his being with a radiant glow that made him see exactly what was unknown to him and kept in the dark until she came and unearthed it, feelings he never had felt before and that spoke of love. It was her words that curved the straight line that was plastered on his face back up, reaching into his heart that she covered with her words and her being, with all that was done by Anne, he was covered in her. 

"Thank you, Anne! Coming out of your mouth, it almost sounded like a compliment. But jokes aside I didn't do anything special, just what I thought was right." He smiled, giving her the beam that brought to light his dimples, which from the first day on became her weak point and made his expression seem so warm that she could have melted away.

Gilbert's gaze shifted from her face to the hand that covered his own, bringing it to his lips, from where a gentle kiss dropped on her knuckles as a sweet token of his gratitude. He then let go of her palm, bringing it to Anne's side. Her face was tinged in a pretty shade of red, giving Gilbert the discernment that all the things he did, didn't leave her unmoved and that gave him hope that her heart might harbor feelings for him too though it was only a small one, but a glimmer of hope was still better than none, at least that was what he figured. He detached himself from the white lacquered commode he was leaning against, making his way to Mary and Bash's bedroom, after all, they were in the apartment instead of the bookstore for a reason. Furtive expressions of thanks went skyward, to Mother Nature or whoever was responsible for the blizzard that swept over Toronto. It was only thanks to the weather that neither Ruby nor customers were at Global and Bookish yet, he was aware of that, and it gave him the perfect opportunity simply because it allowed him so much time alone with Anne, whose harmonious voice echoed through the hallway at that very moment.

"Caring deeply will always be the right thing, Gil." She whispered, loud enough for Gilbert to hear, turning her gaze to all the pictures on the walls to avoid the thought of staring at his backside, she was blushing often enough that morning, she didn't need that again, though she knew she couldn't avoid it, not as long as this handsome, kind and smart young man would be around. Damn, he was too good to be true.

Although she couldn't see it, a smile danced around his lips, a shy one this time but one that spoke of contentment, liking the words she had chosen. "That's such a nice thing to say, Anne."

Anne did not have much to offer in response. Nothing more than a simple "Yeah!", escaped her lips.

Even from a distance she felt all the sparks flying and this electrifying tension not only set her body on fire, all that defined her being burned, and she didn't really know why or for what. What she did know was that it fueled her desire for knowledge. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to know about him. He was interesting and even though he had already revealed so much more about himself to her than she had about herself, he had something mysterious, a side he didn't show many people and she wished to get to know all his facets, longing to peel them off until all his layers would drop to the floor. Maybe it was unfair considering that he knew almost nothing about her, but something in her, uttered this urge to explore the depths of Gilbert Blythe, to read every page of the book of his life, to analyze with attentiveness all the lines and passages, knowing that there were paragraphs that filled chapters of pain, written in black ink that smeared the paper as he cried tears. And she wanted to be a part of this story, not only as a reader who gets lost in it but as a protagonist who may eventually be promoted from a secondary character to a main character. With him, she wanted to write stories that they wouldn't put on paper with black ink, but in green and red, the colors that she now knew were his favorites.

What she didn't know yet was that she was already part of this story, the book named Gilbert Blythe, but the thing was that she didn't have the awareness that she wasn't one of the side characters of it. With her entrance into his life, a new chapter was written that was named Anne with an E, who became his heroine and his love interest. The only question, however, was how many pages she would fill and whether there would be a happy ending. She somehow slipped between the pages where he found her and there he wanted to keep her and as preposterous as this notion was, he wanted to keep her there until there was no blank page left and the book of his life would close.

After a brief moment of comfortable silence, it was her angelic voice that filled the stillness and made it fade away. "Did you name the store Global and Bookish because you traveled so much? Most of the names of the bookstores I visit have unimaginative and boring names like The Book Nook or just the owner's name with the word Books added to it...I mean that's so boring but your name has something that piqued my interest right away when Cole read it to me for the first time." She voiced her curiosity, her eyes fixed on a photo showing a younger Gilbert with Bash, standing in front of the red brick house. Both wore wide grins on their happy appearing faces, with their index fingers pointing to the gold letters that formed the name Global and Bookish. The author thought Gilbert looked proud and felt that he had a right to be proud of the things he had accomplished in the past.

A soft laugh escaped his lips as he wondered how long it would be before they finally reached Bash and Mary's bedroom, which was just a few steps away, but all of Anne's questions turned a walk down the hall into a road trip back to Memory Lane. This was simply, what it felt like to him, an adventurous voyage back to the past that he was sure was important to get permission to travel with her to places in the present and who knows, maybe even towards a future together. He was a global person, and as long as she came with him, he would globetrot with her anywhere, up to the silver core of the moon, or heavenwards to cloud nine, skywards to the stars and all the heights to which only she could lift him. 

"Well, you're not entirely wrong about that. The letters G and B stand for Gilbert and Bash, and since we're both global and bookish we named our bookstore that. It's that simple." He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled, almost standing in front of the bedroom. Swiftly turning around, having his left hand stuffed in his trouser pocket, his gaze traveled to Anne, roaming her lovely complexion where he found the eternal summer smile on her lips that never failed to put the warmth of spring and summer in his heart, where butterflies spread their wings, moving in circles through the walls of it. Buds sprouted and opened, watered by her, blooming a sea of vibrant flowers and hope. Admiring her sunny smile, he craved to plant in her heart all that she put in his, wishing nothing more than to get the chance one day to take root as she did in the very essence of his being.

"I love that. The name is perfect, so imaginative. I like people with scope for the imagination." She told him while the curve on her lips only lifted a tad higher and for the first time, Gilbert noticed that she, like him, had dimples that form during the process of smiling.

In a way, those two hollows only added to her beauty, making her face even more unique than it already was. His fingertips felt the urge to brush over her dimples, to explore them like the craters of the moon. He was sure she must be a child of the cosmos, made of stardust, mysterious as the nocturnal eye with a starlit face that dotted her Milky Way. And if she was a cosmic woman, then he was the astronaut, the stargazer who found in her beauties that others never dared to discover. Perhaps it was true that the universe sent its brightest star to Earth so that his sky could collide with it, and never did he love the celestial sphere under which he lived more than at the moment when he admired the shiniest ĺight of his firmament, the most beautiful starlight of all.

"And I like you, Anne." He unexpectedly admitted, the words rolling from his tongue with determination instead of being blurted out by him, a fact that surprised him tremendously. He would have loved to tell her he loved her but he knew it was far too soon for that, not only for her but for him as well. It was only a few hours ago that all the pieces fell into place that were capable of opening his eyes and made him realize that all that he felt was love and he had yet to process it all himself. After all, it was the first time he had felt this glorious feeling for someone else. So no, the unveiling of his heart's contents still had to wait.

"A lot! I like you a lot, Anne."

She stood directly across from him by the white-hued front door that would lead into Sebastian and his wife's bedroom, shaking her head in an attempt to comprehend the words she had just perceived. Gilbert Blythe likes her? The only question she asked herself was why? As eyes that held an ocean stumbled into those that held a forest fire, she saw there in the blazing flames the truth of his words whilst he was busy staring into her orbs with the intensity now habitual for Anne. What her eyes contained could not stifle that in his, on the contrary, it only fueled it further, as if she were the kerosene that was injected through his veins and set everything he was made of ablaze, his pupils dilating, expressing something she had never seen in eyes she looked into, not in that way. The viewing in his eyes could almost have been compared to romance, had she had experience with it. She didn't have the strength to fight the pull of his hazel eyes, and so she lost herself in them for the umpteenth time. Without a spoken word he told her how much he liked her, all it needed was a single glance that rendered her speechless. In the past, she had of course crossed paths with many pairs of eyes in all different colors. None of them was ever capable of drawing her into a gaze like him. The warm globes she stared into were fascinating and beautiful. What she found in them contained poetry, such expressive showings that urged her to take a sheet of paper and a beautiful fountain pen into the palms of her hands in order to manifest everything she saw there, because the world should know what beauty was to be found in the irises of Gilbert Blythe. She was sure that this beauty was not only possessed by his eyes but with everything he was and so she tried to memorize what she saw, storing it in her mind so that maybe one day she might actually write it down on white paper.

  
  


Sighing deeply, she then had to clear her throat, feeling the dryness of her mouth from which she released her deep exhalation, hitting his face with her breath, tickling his skin the moment it met the warm fan of her air expulsion. "Eye-I-I." She stammered, struck by the magnitude of his gaze, which made her eerily nervous. Gilbert, appearing somewhat confused considering her flustered state, couldn't cease his left eyebrow from heaving, a similar behavioral trait to the scratching of his neck when nervous, but in this instantaneous case, it was the feeling of utter confusion that caused him to cock his eyebrow upwards. 

He slanted his head a touch to the side, his face just a hairsbreadth from hers away, close enough to count each of her beguiling freckles. "Did you forget what you were going to say?" The co-owner of Global and Bookish asked noisily, releasing a sigh, but it wasn't one that spoke of annoyance, much more it was a soft one, followed by a meek smile, the corners of his mouth lifted while his lips were pressed tightly together. The author's breathing was a heavy one, seeable in the rise and fall of her chest and audible in the small wheezing sounds that escaped her nostrils. The moment she gathered her thoughts, Gilbert withdrew, having no idea what was happening, shrugging his shoulders as he placed his right hand on the doorknob, turning his body towards the door just as her sweet voice rang through the area. 

"I think I'm starting to like you too." The words were almost a whisper, quietly spoken in a croaky voice that came back slowly after Gilbert had robbed it from her, committing theft by stealing her essential human functions like breathing and speaking as he so often did, and she questioned herself how he did it? How could a fall into the warmth of his eyes take so much from her and still feel so good? Clearing her throat, trying to untie this knot that had formed in it, she addressed him one more time, shyly glancing down to the ground, her blue orbs transfixed at her black ankle boots so as not to be exposed to the risk of being pulled into the vortex of his gaze once again. 

"To be honest, I have liked you since I met you".

Her surprising utterance sent a shiver down his spine. Time suddenly stood still, his muscles became tense, and the wheels in his head stopped reeling. Anne liked him! It was a beginning, an important step in the direction he wanted to steer this relationship, whatever it was at the moment. Liking someone has the possibility of falling in love with them over time, so he put his hope in time. She claimed everything that was left of his heart and he could only pray that he would eventually be able to do the same with hers. What she had just uttered came as a surprise to Anne as well. Gilbert was like the sun, warm to the core, at the same time he was a long-awaited rain shower after a day full of heat, someone who brought cooling, a cleansing for the dark thoughts in her mind and let her breathe, even if he often robbed her of the ability to do so. And in the way the rain falls after a hot summer day, so came all the emotions she felt, unexpected, quiet at first but intensifying with time, she was aware of that, but someone had to like a person like him, so it was no wonder that she did too, even though she knew her feelings went deeper. But she wasn't ready to admit that to herself, to even consider it she had to build more trust with him and that required more time.

Gilbert smiled to himself, not being able to see Anne, his back turned to her whilst he didn't know how to react to the newfound information. For some, it might be nothing special to be told by someone that they like you. But it was so much for Gilbert, almost too much. He had trouble taking his mind off it all and focusing on why they were outside the bedroom of the Lacroix's in the first place. He shook his head, dark brown curls bouncing left and right in the act. He needed to get back to a rational thought, but of course, that was easier said than done when he felt her piercing gaze sinking through the layers of the shirts he was clad in, burning his skin with it.

"Good, then that's settled. I like you and you like me. I think these are perfect conditions for us to work together in the coming weeks." He said, his conclusion accompanied with an almost inaudible sigh that this time was an expression of frustration, partly because he was annoyed with himself and his pathetic way of dealing with what she had told him and because he would have loved to reach for her hand to pull her to him and brand her lips with his, releasing the heat that had been building up in his body all morning because of her. 

"I think so, too," answered Anne briefly, not knowing herself what to say. There were so many questions going around in her head, especially the one about how far her feelings for him went, but she also wondered if all he saw in what they had, the connection for which there was no label, was a business relationship. Anne, after all, felt she was on the path to a friendship with him, pushing the thought of more far away.

"Do you remember the day we met?"

He stilled for a moment, still feeling some kind of tension in his limbs, thinking that only movement could probably relax his muscles the moment he stood rooted in front of the door at the end of the hallway. Since the day she entered his life, sweeping in like a storm that came so unexpectedly and shook his world without warning, it was all he could think about besides Anne. When he closed his eyes he could hear the patter of the rain, to which the beat of his heart adjusted, as he was rewarded with the most beautiful sight in the world, standing with her under the green umbrella speckled with white dots. If there was one decision in his life he would never regret, it was chasing after her umbrella. It was an unforgettable moment in the November rain, one that had entertained his thoughts and dreams ever since.

"How could I ever forget that afternoon. As if I was able to forget the moment that brought you to me." His words that came along with a dreamy sigh colored her cheekbones in a pretty shade of red. The way he said it was so gentle, sounding to Anne like she was the best thing that ever happened to him, a strange thought for her that she shook right out of her head. "But why do you ask, Anne?" Gilbert then wanted to know, his gaze fixed on his hand that was gripping the handle of the door a bit tighter. Why was he so afraid to look into her eyes? Maybe he just didn't want to drown in them again, using the door handle as an aid to tether himself so that he wouldn't be pulled by her gravity and the magnetic field of the mystical dryad that could never be a creature from this planet, not when all that surrounded her was magic.

"You said you saw potential in us and that you felt we were meant to be friends. Those were your words, Gil." She approached him, her left hand hidden in the depths of her coat pocket while her right dangled at her side. Gilbert could smell her scent, inhaling it as if it were what kept him alive, closing his hazel orbs as he let the sweetness of lavender tickle his nostrils. Shortly after, his eyes suddenly darted to Anne's face, feeling her encasing his left bicep with her right hand. The soft smile on her lips that he reciprocated as he gave her one of those smiles that had the capacity of awakening the butterflies in her tummy, disappeared instantly when she opened her mouth to speak. "You were right, we do have potential. After all, I like you for a reason. You are so different compared to other people I know, by that I mean especially men. I like how honest you are with me. I have never met anyone as genuine as you and I hope we can become friends, Gil. I don't let many people into my life, you know that. But I know you are more than just a business partner, you are a friend to my family and I want you to become mine as well."

It was his worst nightmare that came true for him, becoming a reality he would have preferred to run away from, but there was no magical trap door through which he could have fled, neither an escape route he could have chosen. He had to face the bitter reality and the fact that Anne wanted nothing more than his friendship. Despite being aware of what a hard step it must be for Anne to let him into her world, opening a gateway for him that he thought he would never be granted entry into, it felt entirely wrong, so, so wrong. The beat in his chest intensified, as did his breathing, and it didn't feel good, quite the opposite. It felt like someone had punched him in the pit of his stomach, not ramming a clenched fist into it, but a foot or rather a battering ram, and for a moment it just hurt. Gilbert wasn't foolish, of course, he knew that love doesn't ask if it's a good time to rush into his life nor if he was ready for it. It came out of a sudden and it didn't care if he or Anne were prepared for it, knowing that there is no appropriate time to bring two hearts closer, but he would have at least wished that love had knocked on her door in the same way it did on his. Now he had to take the step over the threshold as a friend, and he didn't know if he could do that.

He was glad that he had turned his head to the side in time, with the purpose that she wouldn't see the disappointment in his expression. The hazel-eyed young man had his jaw clenched, the sharp outline of his jawbone clearly visible for the famous author, eyeing his side profile. Gilbert didn't seem quite like himself. Not knowing what was wrong with him, Anne only worsened his emotional state when she gave his arm an affectionate squeeze. 

The redhead, too, had her problems finding that feeling of rightness in her decision, having made the proposal in a state of utter confusion that left Gilbert anything but untouched. Gilbert was doing something to her, but she was having a lot of trouble figuring out what it was exactly. Though it shifted the axis of her world, unanchoring feelings that have rested for so long in the bottom of her essence she couldn't allow herself to lose control of it. He had awakened them, and she didn't want to permit them to come to the surface, for the reason that she would otherwise have to confront them and she was far from ready for that. Everything she felt was locked in her rib cage, making sure that her heart wouldn't escape because she didn't know what she would do if it did. She couldn't let the control of her emotions slip out of her hands, even if there was that tingling sensation in her fingertips, a need to bring him into her embrace and never let him go out of her grasp.

"Is everything alright with you, Gil?" She inquired questioningly, moving her head in an attempt to read more of his expression, which he did not allow her to do, shifting his face toward the door frame to give nothing away of his recent state.

"I'm fine, Anne. Thanks for asking, though." He was clearly having trouble keeping his voice neutral, not daring to look at her. For a moment Anne thought she heard hurt in his vocalization, worrying that he might not even be interested in a friendship with her and so she released her hand from his biceps, which in her eyes seemed rather muscular, taking a few steps back to step out of his space.

He on the other hand wasn't exactly sure how to behave towards her, whether he could step into the role of a friend when he wanted so much more, knowing about Anne's trust issues he had no choice but to accept it. Love can grow out of friendship and that was a hope he wanted to hold onto. Swallowing his own feelings, he had no choice but to take it for what it was, an offer of friendship that he most certainly would not refuse, especially not if it came from her.

"I would be honored to be your friend, although I thought we already have a friendship. With you, everything feels like I've known you not just for three weeks, but for half my life and I'm sure we were meant to meet. It was fate and if that's what you want, if you really want my friendship, then I would be happy to grant it to you." It was so hard for him to say this, his left hand clenched into a fist. He felt like he had no choice but to hop on the friendship bandwagon. All he hoped was that the train and the route he would take with her would only end at one destination, love!

"Yes!" Anne exhaled softly, standing a few inches away from him, her face illuminated by a smile that spoke of relief. She watched him tap his right foot nervously against the floor, secretly wondering what it was that made him so nervous every time without once getting the idea that everything she was doing was turning the otherwise confident young man into a bundle of nerves. "I would love to be friends with you. You know I don't have any friends besides Diana and Cole. This is a big step for me, one that I rarely took for fear of getting hurt. So please do me the favor and don't break my heart, Gil."

The prominent author tried to smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Her words had a weight that she discovered only when they left her mouth. It would hurt to have her heart broken by him, near him her heart felt as safe as she did. He had strong hands that were delicate despite the roughness of his palms, feeling like a place that wasn't just meant for her hands. It was the port of call where she wanted to put her heart. His fingertips captured it, but that's the thing, something that is captured can be released and thrown back to the hard ground and all she could do was hope that he would hold it gently and be aware of the responsibility that passed to him as she placed her heart in the palms of his hands. She gave it to him as freely and willingly as to no other person before, even if the thoughts behind this decision were of a friendly nature, at least that was what her mind was talking about, ignoring the voices from inside her chest.

Friends can break hearts, right?

"Gil?" She spoke in a whisper in which the fear that he might harm her was evident to him, causing him to turn his attention to her, looking at her with a questioning look in his hazel eyes, his left eyebrow raised skyward. "I let you in and I always thought it would be hard for me to give other people a place in my life, my heart. It's different with you, so much easier and I don't know why it is." She paused for a moment, releasing a heavy sigh before she went on. "If I let you in, I'm giving you power, so please don't break anything."

"I'm aware of that, Anne." He told her, giving her an assuring smile, his lips curved upward. Never could he break her heart, for if he broke hers, he would hurt his right along with it, given that all his crux held was her. He took a step forward, one toward her, grasping her two small hands which he placed in the hollow of his, covering them with his palms that were a bit sweaty, but he didn't care, all that mattered was Anne. "I promise you. I won't break anything, not you, and certainly not your heart. As your friend, because that's what I am now I will do everything I can to keep pain away from you. All I want to give you is joy."

Where did this man come from and why did it take him so long to find her? All her life she built the walls in front of her heart so high that no one could reach them, at least no one who was not part of the family she found in Avonlea... Marilla, Matthew, Cole, and Diana. All the keys that could have opened the door, she swallowed, afraid to put them in someone's hand, protecting herself from being hurt by someone even more than she already was. She was always a lonely ship on the high seas, drifting aimlessly on the surface without dragging anyone with her, down into all the depths her whole being possessed. And then suddenly he came, the first one to try to dig for all the treasures and stories underneath her. She couldn't explain it to herself, but somehow she didn't feel lost at sea anymore. Somewhat told her that she had found a safe harbor where her heart might be ready to anchor with some time, even though the thought frightened her.

Somehow she managed to free her hands from his, surprising Gilbert, who felt like he had done or said something wrong. The heat his fingertips gave off was too much for her. He was what lit those fireworks inside her, the spark that only ever flared when he was close to her, and she was the wax that melted and with every touch, she merged more into him. But he was not only the warmth of a spark but also the pole of a magnet that always managed to pull her closer to him.

Standing on her tiptoes, she circled her hands around his neck as she dragged his head down to her level and embraced him, his chin resting in the crook of her neck, which smelled so dominantly of lavender that Gilbert couldn't help but close his hazel orbs, consuming the scent as if it were a capsule, some type of exquisite medicine that gave his still aching heart the relief it needed. His hands found themselves on her back, pulling her closer to him, her body pressed snugly against his flesh, his fingertips traveling to her hips, brushing from her hip bone up to her waist, discovering curves so soft he wanted to bury his face in them. With his brush against her sides, he poured a hot shower down her spine that slid like liquid magma down her entire back.

"You're safe with me. I would never do anything to hurt you. In the last few weeks, I've come to care about you, a little more with each passing day, and I would never intentionally hurt you. I hope you know that." He whispered in her ear, his voice hoarse due to the situation she pulled him into, almost taking his voice away as so often in recent weeks. It was the first time that what showed his actions, expressed with words and many intense gazes, the warmest smiles impossible and small gestures said what she discerned in everything he offered her. She was safe with him and in his arms, she felt it once more. "If you're looking for a safe place, just ask for my arms." His choice of words brought out a chuckle from him, the vibration of his body perceivable for Anne whose head rested on his shoulder, her cheek touching his, sharing the temperature their bodies gave off. Oh, was there anything cornier than that to say? Probably not, but he was in love. The wheels were turning in his head, forming a question he was sure would haunt him for the next few weeks. _How can I be friends with her when I'm head over heels in love with her?_ While he wished he could nudge her to make her fall into the feelings he felt, she wanted to cling to him and believe everything he said, to hold him until her body had no strength left. 

"Your arms are a pretty nice place to be but please don't make promises you don't know yourself you can keep. Something like that only ends in disappointment and hurt and I don't want that, not with you." Her hands released their grip from his neck, now placed on the sides of his shoulders, palming over the texture of his shirt whilst she coaxed Gilbert to look at her, which he did instantly. Ocean blue eyes saw something in hazel ones that she couldn't put into words, something that felt like a safety net that he threw over her with his gaze.

"Ok, how about this...I won't promise you that I won't hurt you but instead, I will do my best and give you nothing but fun and silly jokes in our friendship. How does that sound?" He asked inquiringly, a smirk dancing around his lips the moment his eyes pierced into hears. If that's what she wanted, his friendship, then she was going to get it, the full program, silly jokes that would eventually become inside jokes that only he and she would understand, banter, and all that went with it. He figured that over time she would realize on her own that what they had in common was more than friendship, a connection between two people with whom fate had planned more than just giving the other a new friend, Gilbert was sure of it.

Anne then gifted him with one of her pretty smiles, the one that formed the deep dimples that he had discovered only today and would have liked to explore more closely, not with his eyesight, much rather with his lips, in which he felt a tingle, not knowing which dimple to look at, the left or the right. Each of his muscles twitched, feeling the urge to pursue his curiosity. In the end, he decided to keep his gaze lowered to her lips, which at that moment began to move and again he wondered what they might taste like.

"That sounds perfect. Fun and silly jokes are nice but there's something else I want from you." 

_'Please say, my love, my lips, my everything.'_ Gilbert thought, never dare to speak the thought out loud. Anne, however, had something else to say, even if her heart would have gladly accepted what he wanted to offer her.

"Your trust, Gil. Something tells me I already have it, but I want you to know that I trust you and I'm sure it's growing by the day. I hope your trust in me will do that too"

Gilbert's hands left her back, but the closeness between her and him remained, facing her, the tips of his feet aligned with hers while they gave each other the smile that they put on each other's lips. She gave him almost everything he wanted from her, a place in her life, trust she placed in his hands, all he missed was her love. But maybe he had to earn it in the same way as he earned her trust, maybe he had to become her friend first to win her heart and with it her.

"Don't worry about it. Do you think I would have told you so many things from my past if I didn't trust you?" He longed to know, his gaze still fixed on the starlit milky way of her complexion, watching how the pretty redhead jolted her head vehemently to the left and right side, tresses of copper and gold prancing in the stiff air of the hallway while she gave him the indication that she didn't think so and knew that he only opened up to her because he trusted her.

"Fine!" 

Relief at knowing she trusted him was written all over his face, which softened and released some of the tension. His left hand rose to her upper right arm. "Now let's get you out of that blouse so we can finally open the store. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with you and getting to know you better but I'm afraid the blizzard won't stay forever." With the tip of his nose, he pointed at the brown stain covering her elegant green silk blouse, his hand resting on her bicep roaming down her arm until it arrived at her hand dangling at her side.

"Oh, okay!" Anne only murmured in response, feeling Gilbert squeeze her hand with tenderness before turning and letting it go, with that one touch making Anne blush. Suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore if being friends with this man was the best idea. Friends don't make you blush with a simple gesture, this realization made Anne reflect, still noticing the heat in her body that his presence ignited, not only inflaming her soul and heart, but everything she was made of. 

The redheaded beauty inhaled deeply, releasing the air she sucked in with a heavy sigh, watching as Gilbert put his hand on the handle of the room door, behind which he hoped to find something for Anne to wear, one of Mary's many blouses or a pretty knit sweater. He then finally operated the handle, pushing it down, but nothing happened, the door remained closed, much to Gilbert's displeasure.

"Shit! It's locked."

* * *

Gilbert's bedroom was a mess when Anne entered it with the attractive bookstore co-owner, walking across a threshold with him for the first time as a friend of hers. The talented author had indeed made a new friend, and as happy as she was about it, she wasn't quite sure Gilbert Blythe was just a friend to her. Everything that went on between them spoke of something more. After all, friends don't look at each other with an intensity that makes the skin burn, they don't rob each other of every word in the vocabulary of their cerebrums. They can breathe near their friend without fear of having the breath stolen from their lungs. A friend's touch doesn't cover the body with a blanket of goosebumps or electrify the heart in a way that throws off its rhythm. Friends don't look at each other in the way one looks at a starlit sky or the most beautiful thing the human eye has ever seen. They don't address each other with their names sounding like a prayer as it rolls off each other's tongues, and they certainly don't think about melding their lips together. Friends don't do that unless they ache for something more than friendship. Although she would never admit it, she liked him more as a friend, more than she had originally planned. He gave her heart a new beat, it pulsed faster, more palpable than before him, her blood boiled and everything in her quivered and burned. In a way she had the sentiment that he was the four elements, the fire whose spark passed over to her and not only set herself afire, but also made her burn for something, and that something was solely him. He was the earth that soothed her, grounding her even though the air in him lifted her off, kissing her broken wings with a breath and making her fly, skyward to the clouds she wanted to run barefoot over with him. All he was doing was watering every feeling she had for him, growing bigger with every instant she spent in his nearness. The problem, however, that she had was that she wanted to put roots into the core of his existence, but the fear that the flowers that bloomed in her were not beautiful enough for Gilbert to find the soil for rooting in him was just too enormous to find the courage to pursue her desire. It was the ever-present fear of not being enough that forbade her following her heart. Instead, she was listening to her mind, which put the rational idea at the forefront of her thoughts and urged her to offer Gilbert a friendship rather than choosing the braver path and finding out if the handsome young man with marvelous hazel eyes might see more in her than her conscious mind was telling her.

Now she stood there with a thousand questions in her head in the midst of the room, which she compared to a battlefield. Anne had to roll her eyes at the irony of it, as a battle was also taking place inside her. Her heart was at war with her mind and she didn't know who would be the victor in the end. There were colorful piles on the gray carpet, various articles of clothing in different hues dotted the floor, the closet made of what Anne realized was mahogany wood was wide agape, some clothes half hanging from hangers. It looked as chaotic as everything inside Anne felt. Her eyes roamed the room while Gilbert was busy cleaning up the mess from the floor, ashamed he didn't dare look at Anne, his back turned away from her as he picked up garment after garment.

"I'm so sorry, Anne. I forgot what a mess my room was in when I left it this morning. I can assure you I'm not always this messy." His apology was accompanied by a sigh the moment he stood in front of the mess he made, his right hand rose to his back that he scratched nervously before he started his attempts to put his room back in order as quickly as possible. If someone had told him a few hours earlier that Anne would enter his room that day, he probably would have declared the person crazy, the thought alone was otherwise just a preposterous idea, at most a figment of his imagination that he encountered at night in his dreams that let Anne not only into his room, but also into his bed, but he couldn't think of that right now, that would only charge the tension that hovered over the two of them even more.

Anne had to laugh, giving his room a closer look. "Calm down. Have you forgotten that Jerry is like a brother to me? You should see his room. It looks like a hurricane went through there all the time." The sweet sound of her laughter was let out into her palm by her, which muffled it. Gilbert thought it was a pity, her laughter was a sweet symphony to him, played by her vocal cords, composing the most beautiful aria his ears had ever heard. Settling into the swivel chair at Gilbert's desk, she watched him pick up all the pieces that covered the floor. 

Releasing a chuckle from his mouth, he was thinking of his old friend Jerry Barnard, who, unlike Gilbert, was always more chaotic than he. Jerry was always up to nonsense. One of his favorite hobbies was playing pranks on others. In the winter he would stick pine cones in the exhaust pipes of the neighbors' cars, and in the summer he loved to throw water-filled balloons at others. He was chaotic, funny, hard-working for everything even as a boy, with crystal clear goals in mind. While Gilbert's father was sick with lung cancer, the Baynard boy was a pillar of support for him, a lovable guy Gilbert missed to this day.

"That sounds like Jerry." 

"It does. Do you ever miss him and Avonlea?" Anne then asked, spinning in the comfortable swivel chair upholstered with black leather, her giggle resounding across the room.

Turning to her and giving her his attention while the fingertips of his right hand clutched a green shirt with brown buttons, Gilbert merely nodded. His eyes held that melancholic expression once more, coupled with a sadness Anne had seen so often in them whenever the subject of Avonlea was mentioned. Once again she realized the value of his trust, the way he was always willing to face the things that brought him pain, not hiding them, but sharing them with her, even though it seemed to hurt him. All she could do in the end was admire him, not for opening up to her, but because he showed a willingness to give her that blind trust she wanted to echo back to him someday. 

There was a heavy silence that fell over the room as his thoughts traveled to Avonlea whilst hers were completely with him. The only audible sound was the breathing of the two. After a few minutes in which no one said anything, the silence became too much for Anne, she just couldn't stand it anymore, so she attempted to break it.

"I talked to Marilla on the phone yesterday." She began, her voice a soft whisper. She stopped wheeling in the chair, instead of sitting up straight on it, her hands placed flat on her thighs. Her eyes were fixed on Gilbert, whose gaze dropped to the floor, his head too heavily filled with memories that wouldn't allow him to look at Anne at that moment. Gilbert looked sad, but not like he would mind if she kept talking, so she did, addressing him once more. "She was very surprised when I told her about meeting you in a city of millions like Toronto. She called our meeting fate. Who knows maybe it is true. Maybe it has been fate. I mean first we meet in the rain and then it turns out you own the bookstore where I'm supposed to read. I just wonder what it is trying to tell us."

His head shot up, hazel eyes met those holding an ocean momentarily and all Gilbert could find in his mind was a thought, which of course he didn't say out loud. "That we are meant for each other." Their friendship had just begun, he didn't want to lose this one right away just because he was in love with her. So a thought remained, what it was, something he was sure of but didn't dare to speak out.

He then wheeled back around, taking a few steps to walk to his dresser, which was next to the closet, made of the same wood, mahogany. Global and Bookish's young co-owner was breathing a little heavier than before, but maybe it was just all the tension in the room that was making it hard for him to breathe.

"Marilla used to talk about you and your father a lot. I think you were both very important to her. By the way, she told me to give you her regards." Anne's information came along with a mild smile, one that he couldn't see. It was such a strange thought to know that the members of her chosen family knew him, the kind-hearted young man with the heart of a lion, bravely facing the hurdles that life threw his way. She would like to be as brave, knowing that everything she did so far was nothing but running away from her feelings.

Outside the snowfall slowly flattened out a bit, just gently and lightly swirling through the air like little feathers, the sun continued to hide behind the white painted clouds, all that lit the room was the light of day, making the white walls in his room seem even whiter. Anne wondered why his room seemed so colorless in contrast to what she had seen of the apartment so far, after six years that Gilbert had now lived there she would have expected it to seem more lively, more lived-in but it seemed more like a room mostly used for sleeping. The interior of the room was completely furnished with dark wood furniture, with a single bed next to which stood a bedside table, a desk, right by the window, giving Anne the presumption that he uses the natural daylight to study. On the walls hung bookshelves, loaded with countless books, which did not surprise Anne considering that she was in the bedroom of a young man who co-owned a bookstore. It wasn't modernly furnished but it wasn't old-fashioned either. Even though it didn't seem very lived-in, she found Gilbert in the room, medical textbooks that were scattered across his desk, photos of his family, maps tacked to the walls, a gold-colored globe sitting on one of the many shelves. It somehow fit his character, seeming authentic, grounded, yet warm in its own way. But she also noticed that something was missing. Avonlea! No pictures of Jerry, his father, or anything else that looked like it was part of Avonlea adorned the walls of his bedroom, giving Anne the impression that he had removed anything remotely resembling the small town on Prince Edward Island from his life. It was such a sad thing to think of. 

The warm timbre of his voice brought her out of the thoughts to which she had drifted. "Please give her my thanks next time you talk to her." He uttered over his shoulder, then turning back to the dresser from which he pulled a brown leather belt a moment later. "Marilla was always very kind and almost a second mother to me. I'm glad you came to people like her and Matthew." He then added, folding the shirt that he placed together with the belt at the end of his bed.

Everything he said was true, Marilla treated him with nothing but kindness during his childhood days, sure she could be strict when someone didn't behave appropriately but she always had a motherly aura, eyes that shone when she smiled but also a sadness whenever she looked at his father. Looking back, Gilbert often wondered if the two were once connected by more than a deep-rooted friendship, suspecting that they probably loved each other at some point in their lives. Such thoughts did not occur to him at the time; he was simply too young to understand what love was that was not parental. The understanding of it became clear to him only when she entered his life, Anne with an E, into whose hands his heart went, which was as irretrievable as his fond childhood remembrances of Avonlea. For a split second, the possibility that the universe might want to make amends by bringing Anne into his life occurred within him but was quickly dismissed with a shake of his head.

In the meantime Anne got rid of her emerald green coat made of wool, which she threw over the back of the swivel chair, witnessing Gilbert put the clothes he had picked up off the floor back into the closet. "At first we had some difficulties, Marilla and I but she learned to love me over time as much as I love her. I still can't believe you know all the people I love. " A sigh left her mouth, still unable to fathom how hard the wheels of time and the universe must have worked to bring him to her, a person who is loved by her whole family.

"Neither do I." Gilbert had to chuckle. It was something that was so hard to grasp and kept him up at night for the past few weeks. The longer he thought about it all, though, the less sense it all made. "It was such a strange coincidence that it must have been fate, or do you have a better explanation for it all?"

"No! I have no other explanation either. No matter what it was that brought you into my life, I'm just happy to have met you, Gil."

The corners of Gilbert's mouth twitched, curving upward, leaning with his back against the closet that had been closed by him in the meantime as he folded his hands over his chest, looking at her with a fat grin stuck to his handsome face. "And I'm glad I met you, Anne-girl!"

Anne raised her head to look at Gilbert with a perplexed expression on her face. "Anne-girl?" She asked him, he had never addressed her that way before. It sounded velvety, soft as he pronounced it, like chocolate boiling in a pot, melting and running hot from her ear canal to her heart, which beat louder and stronger, growing warm and giving off so much heat that it tinted her cheeks a mix of pink and red. Why did he do these things with her heart? For what reason did he intensify her need to run into his arms with everything he did? All she wanted to do was rest her head on his chest only to see if she controlled his heartbeat the same way he controlled hers.

Gilbert cleared his throat, eyeing the beautiful redhead with eagle eyes, his gaze piercing and intense, just the way she knew it, and it held the capacity to only shift her feelings more towards him, all she felt was because of Gilbert, whose grin disappeared the moment he addressed his words to her. "I thought since you call me Gil it was time to find a nickname for you. Queen Anne is a bit much, not that you don't have the appearance of one. Everything about you is majestic." He was bold enough to accompany his verbalization with a wink at her, deepening the blush that colored her cheekbones, moving her to slant her face bashfully to the side. "Anne-girl was the first thing that popped into my head. I think it sounds cute. Therefore it fits you perfectly. Of course, I can stop calling you that if you don't like it."

"No!" Anne interjected, her voice sounding an octave higher than usual. 

"I-I-I..." Stammering and annoyed with herself, her eyes rounded, releasing a loud puff that contained all the annoyance at herself. She took another moment to gather her thoughts and then tried again. "Ugh...What I meant to say is that I like the nickname. Use it as much as you want. It makes my name sound less plain. I like it a lot."

"Don't worry, I will, Anne-girl! The grin had returned to his face, the new nickname he gave her rolling off his tongue with special emphasis. And that was something that was already starting to drive Anne crazy, ducking her head a tad more to the side while she grasped the material of her black trousers firmly. 

"Oh, and Anne-girl?" He decided to address her anew, attempting to get her attention. He wanted to look into her eyes, follow the strong magnetism that he felt every time near her.

"Yeah?" She couldn't find the courage to look at him. The skin of her face burned, feeling that the redness he had put there had not yet subsided.

"I just want you to know that your name is anything but plain. For me, it is one of the most beautiful names I have ever had the pleasure of pronouncing, but that probably has to do with the fact that it is yours."

There it was again, the feeling that brought out the tingling inside her, softening her knees and leaving her with nothing but complete confusion. Was he trying to tell her that he thought she was beautiful? He had said something similar before, when he was standing with her on the balcony of her hotel room and just like that evening, which was as magical as every single moment with him, it confused her beyond measure, for the reason that she didn't know how to interpret it.

Needing some movement, Anne got up from the comfortable chair, looking around the room a little more closely. On one of the walls hung a family photo, obviously taken on the day of Sebastian and Mary's wedding. The bride and groom looked at each other with bright smiles, their eyes sparkling with happiness and the love they had for each other was perfectly captured, conveyed through the photo in an amazing way that left her stunned. Gilbert stood next to Bash, putting in Anne's mind the thought that he might have been his best man, wearing a happy smile, one that spoke of belonging, of being part of a family he found on a ship on the high seas.

"They look so happy!" A dreamy sigh escaped Anne's lips, gushing over the photo that spoke of nothing but pure bliss, making the redhead secretly wonder if she would ever be granted the opportunity to also find someone Mary and Sebastian had found in each other, a life partner she could share everything with, someone who would put a smile on her lips like that, that Bash put on Mary's at the moment the photo had been taken, ignoring the voices of her subconscious that tried to tell her she had found such a person, the young man who stood in the room with her, secretly admiring her, with no other emotions but romance sparkling in his eyes as she admired the photos on the walls.

Gilbert tilted his head slightly to one side, glancing up with his hands still folded across his chest, his left eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Huh?"

Wearing a smile on her lips, Anne pointed the forefinger of her left hand to the picture hanging on the wall. "Sebastian and his wife. The two of them look so happy. Will you tell me how they met, Gil? I love hearing stories like that, often they give me inspiration for writing. You must know that the meet-cute between Cordelia and Wisteria in the first book of my series is something that was inspired by real events. My former high school teacher Miss Stacey met her husband that way. They had a tragic romance. Jonah, that was the name of her husband, died a few years after their marriage but she is a person who does not want to be pitied, an extraordinary woman with a strong will. For me, she is a role model in every possible way. "

Her ramblings were utterly cute, at least that's what Gilbert thought at that moment, when he detached himself from his closet, against which he was leaning all the time, and slowly stepped over to Anne, wanting to close the distance that existed between them. Standing behind her, his scent tickled the tip of her nose, fragrancing his entire room. She didn't know what kind of lovely odor he used but it scented tart like the forests of Avonlea, coupled with a freshness that reminded her of the fresh sea breeze she always inhaled when she visited her thinking spot by the cliffs, sitting in the lush green grass of the meadows throughout the time she was gazing into the blue vastness of the ocean that always managed to give her a soothing ease and amounts of inspiration for her works whenever she visited the place that was one of her favorites. As his scent passed through her nostrils, Anne had the sensation of smelling her home, and for a moment she couldn't do anything but close her eyes, imagining herself in Avonlea, with him by her side, walking across the threshold of Green Gables while his left hand held her right one, a golden ring reflecting in the amber light that fell through the windows of the old farmhouse, a seal of love that he led to his lips as he put a kiss on her ring finger with the brightest smile illuminating his handsome visage.

Her eyes shot open in a flash, her pulse racing through her veins, her breathing uncontrolled and fast. What was that? Shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the afterthought as quickly as possible, she inhaled deeply, sucking in a breath that got stuck in her throat as she felt him put his strong hands on her slender shoulders. If she wanted answers, then at least she should look him in the eye, so he turned her to face him, giving her the radiant happy curve that formed his dimples, which repeatedly stirred the urge in Anne to caress them with her fingertips and lips. Just as Anne had to swallow, his lips began to move, the soft cushions into which she wanted to drop hers.

"It was love at first sight, for both of them even though Mary would probably tell a different story but I was there and my eyes knew what they saw." Gilbert had to laugh out loud, his hands still resting on her shoulders, which he started massaging lightly. 

Friends massage each other's shoulders, right? 

"Anyway, they met on the SS. Primrose. Mary worked there as a nurse and Sebastian as a side cook. You have to try his crab callaloo. It's actually to die for… However, Sebastian cut his finger so deep one day that he had to see a nurse, and as you can probably guess it was Mary. I took him to her and from the moment he laid his eyes on her sparks flew. A year later they were married, nine months after the wedding Dellie was born and they have been living happily ever after."

His words had just faded into the room when it happened again, they lost themselves in the maelstrom of their mutual attraction, in the eyes that simply had something so addictive that drew them to each other all over again. He sailed in the ocean, gazing into depths that were the doorway to her heart into which he stumbled without her even noticing at first, but that changed at that very moment. He had a place there, one in the front row, directly amid her epicenter. And with every inch she fell deeper into his eyes, the young man with the warm hazel orbs fell deeper into her heart. Whilst she let the flames that blazed in his eyes warm her, she realized that he belonged in her life, he belonged in her heart. Gilbert Blythe was not her friend, he was more, something like she thought she could never be to him.

The sweetness of her voice rang through the room, bringing forth a feeling deep inside him that opened all the wings of the butterflies that were trapped there, buzzing around in his stomach. Her soft whisper was enough to make them dance, to give his tummy a feeling that only Anne could give him, his goddess of love who unfortunately only wanted his friendship. 

"Do you believe in this, Gil? I mean do you believe in the notion that someone can fall in love with a person with just the exchange of a single glance?" She longed to know, the warm exhalation of her breath meeting his face, awakening a tingle in his skin whose pores opened, morphing into goose flesh that began to dot every inch of his frame. What could he possibly answer to that question? To be honest, he already fell in love with her voice when he heard it for the first time, without even having seen Anne. It took him some time to accept that, but it was love at first listen, maybe also love at first everything. But of course, he couldn't tell her that. It would ruin everything before it could even start.

"Yes!" Gilbert breathed, moving his right hand from her shoulder to her cheek, cupping it with his gentle grip, startling Anne with it for a moment. Her eyes shot wide open, everything just felt like a touch more than friendship, just all that was exchanged, whether it was the gazes, the words, and all the tension between them. All of that couldn't be a friendship, not when it had the power to ignite fireworks like it did in that moment when his fingertips brushed oh so tenderly across the milky complexion of her cheeks.

"How can I believe anything else when I see Bash and Mary every day. Those two have what I want to have someday, and when I see how happy they make each other, I can't do anything but believe in love at first sight." He paused briefly, gazing deep into her mesmerizing blue orbs, never ceasing to pad her cheek with his palm. "What about you Anne-girl, do you believe in it?"

How was she supposed to find an answer to his question when she didn't even know what love felt like? All her life she had never been loved by anyone except her family and friends, and she never loved anyone in a way that went deeper than those kinds of love. It wasn't that she didn't want to, she just couldn't. Her fear of falling was too immense because she didn't want to hit the hard ground that could shatter her heart into a thousand pieces. After all, that was the risk that comes with love. Falling for someone who could never fall in love with her was her biggest fear of all, a reason why she built the walls in front of her heart higher and higher in the last years. It wasn't much that she wanted, just someone to anchor into, to fall for without the fear of being hurt, but she never had it and she was convinced she would never get it. So how was she to know if she believed in love at first sight? She knew there was that click a person can feel right when they first meet someone, the best example of that was the young man who held her head the way he had held her hand before, as if she were the most fragile being he was ever allowed to hold.

"I-I don't know." She began after a short moment of stillness, the uncertainty in her voice recognizable to Gilbert, who at that moment decided to let go of her cheek. He walked to his bed, sinking into his soft mattress as he sat down at its end. Gilbert felt that Anne needed some space, so he let go of her to give her room to breathe and the possibility to gather her thoughts without being distracted by him. And this appeared to have been the right decision when he heard her voice sounding across his room anew.

"Believing in something that I don't know and have never experienced myself is quite hard for me. I believe that people can have a connection with each other from the first time they meet. Something like a click. After all, that has been the case with us. But I'm not sure I believe in love at all, though."

He glanced incredulously at the redhead. "Maybe you just need to meet the right person who will show you that love exists." Gilbert then said, looking at her with a serious look, secretly wishing he could be that person for Anne. What he didn't know was that Anne had the same thought, one that was buried in the depths of her heart and that she assumed will always be her biggest secret. It was a strange expression that was displayed in his eyes, one that the famous author, as so often, was not able to describe or understand, but she thought to see a certain kind of longing in them, for whom or what, she did not know.

The redhead exhaled, recognizing a heavy weighting in his words for which she couldn't find many words, much less an explanation. "Yeah, maybe!" That was all that she could say, registering the change of mood which was loaded with a strange feeling.

Out of a sudden, a heaviness settled over the room and the two of them, which gave more power to the crackling tension, charging it up more and more. It was like a fire whose sparks flew throughout the area, rising higher the longer they were there together. The heaviness was energy produced by the exchange of glances across several meters, an electrifying chemistry that was undeniable, and felt by both with the same intensity, discernable in the way they looked at each other, their eyes fixed on the other, staring into the depths of oceans and warmth of flames where they tried to find an explanation for what was happening even though they knew it, but neither of them wanted to acknowledge. Anne for the reason that she couldn't and Gilbert because he didn't want to endanger the friendship with her, which he regarded as a stopover, hoping that the direction would lead to love. He knew that it would be a rocky path to get there, given that it wasn't enough to rely on chemistry and that's why he knew he had a long way to go if he wanted to win her heart. He wanted her to want him, nothing more than anything else, but that would require a lot of work, knowing that her soul carried shadows and her heart wounds and all he wished was to be able to erase them with an eraser as if they had never been there, but he knew it would be unrealistic. Wounds can close but they stay and sometimes they open up again and if anyone knew what that feeling was like, it was him, knowing it all too well, the ache of old scars that shed tears instead of bleeding. Therefore, he had no choice but to let the friendship unfold and wait until Anne might be ready for more, due to the fact that this aura and magic that always surrounded both of them gave him the feeling that everything that existed between them could be the cornerstone of something monumental and life-changing, some magical feeling he didn't want to feel with anyone but her.

Gilbert broke the silence then, however, he still could not stifle the tension with it. He let his gaze wander out of the window, where he saw that the snowfall was becoming less and less intense, which meant that the first customers would soon be standing in front of the red brick house, on the lookout for new adventures and achievements, which in turn meant that the store had to open as soon as possible. "We really should finally get you out of that blouse. You liked the shirt I'm wearing so much, so I picked this one out for you." He showed her a green shirt with brown checks and buttons in the same color, quite similar to the one that covered his well-toned torso. "Try it with the brown belt. It's the shortest one I could find. You can change in my bathroom and then we can go back downstairs and open the store before Bash comes and gives me a reading on responsibility."

His suggestion was met with nothing but a nod from Anne. There was so much she had to process for herself right now. The question of whether Gilbert was a friend she could answer with almost one hundred percent certainty with a no, then there were all the confusing feelings inside her as she wondered what it was she was feeling, a crush or yet rather what she was always afraid of? What if all she felt for him was love? It wasn't that she didn't want to love, quite the opposite was the case. All she ever wanted was what everyone craves, sheltering arms that won't let her go, someone who makes her laugh and is real with her, doesn't care who she is or where she comes from, for whom all that matters is who she is. She wanted to love and be loved in return, for the reason that she had so much love to give after all. All too willingly she would fall without having to fear to land on the hard ground of disappointment. She was self-sufficient enough to slay her dragons and demons by herself, to fight the war against dark thoughts alone. Anne didn't need anyone to do it for her, but she wanted someone and that was the difference. She wanted someone with whom she could share all that she is, but given her profession, it was hard to find that someone. This cloud of fear of being used because of her talent and status just always hovered over her and not one person was ever able to make it fade away. But then he came, Prince Charming who changed everything, and it was terrifying.

Without looking at him, Anne grabbed the shirt and belt from his hands, blushing as her fingertips happened to touch his, and tiptoed in high-speed into the bathroom belonging to his bedroom. As the door of it slammed shut they both did the same, releasing a heavy sigh into the void of the room they were in, Anne leaning with her back against the bathroom door while he sat on his bed, the fingers of his right hand weaving through the texture of his dark curls. And both of them had only one thought in their minds because of their newborn friendship.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

The only thing Gilbert could do as Anne left his bathroom was to stare, definitely underestimating the effect the sight of Anne in his shirt had on him. Seeing her dressed in the green plaid shirt that she wore somehow like a dress over her tight black pants, reaching almost to her knees literally took his breath away as he took his time to admire her with his mouth and eyes wide open as she spun in circles, her giggles echoing across his four walls while her hair danced in the air that how Anne found carried the scent of home, and held the same scent she now wore on her own body. Gilbert had the impression that she was comfortable in his shirt that, thanks to the brown leather belt, complimented her curves, which he traced with his gaze that he wished were his lips. She was about to ask Gilbert how she looked, throwing her blouse on his bed when suddenly the door of his room flew wide open, revealing a woman Anne knew only from the photos that hung on the walls of the hallways and his room.

Somehow, this woman who had seemed so cheerful in the photos seemed so different to the one compared to all the images Anne had seen before. Dark brown eyes were narrowed, giving Gilbert a meaningful look as she stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. On dark black curls gleamed the remnants of snow that must have reached its melting point there in the thick texture. Mary Lacroix would not be likely to melt hearts with the way she looked first at Gilbert, and then at Anne; her eyes lacked the warmth to do so, at least at that moment. She seemed angry, at whom or what everyone would find out soon enough.

"Gilbert Blythe there are rules in this house and it seems to me that you have broken one of them." The expression on her face held disappointment rather than anger as the words left her mouth, confusing Gilbert greatly. He didn't know what he should have done wrong. Yes okay, he should have opened Global and Bookish long ago but so far Mary always stayed out of matters concerning the bookstore. What should have changed now? It all made so little sense.

Mary looked at Anne, who seemed at least as confused as Gilbert, behind whose long frame she sought shelter from Mary's gaze, standing behind him to avoid being so helplessly exposed to her intense glance. Rolling her dark eyes, Mary only fretted, resting her hands on her hips.

"Now tell me, do you see the potential with her..." Mary paused briefly, gesturing with her fingers over Gilbert at Anne, "...for a long-lasting relationship, if not, then I wonder why she is here wearing your clothes. I know the shirt and the belt, so don't even start lying to me. But, hey, I hope you guys had your fun." 

The sarcasm in her voice was hearable as she leaned against the white-painted door frame, trying to get a better look at Anne, who was glad Gilbert was tall enough for her to hide behind, not knowing what Mary's problem was. Inside Gilbert's head, something finally clicked. One of her rules was the request not to bring home any women with whom he did not see the possibility of a relationship, in whatever form he wanted to build one. It was no problem for Mary when Ruby came to visit. The blonde and Gilbert were, after all, friends whose relationship resembled that of siblings. Mary feared that Dellie would become too attached to random women in whom he saw nothing that could lead to a long-term relationship, thus she wished to avoid unnecessary problems. For this reason, she made this one rule that he just remembered.

Shaking his head, feeling Anne clutching the hem of his shirt behind him, Gilbert laughed heartily, leaning his head back. Mary actually thought he had brought Anne to the apartment to have meaningless sex with her. Oh, it was so absurd. He would lie if the notion had never crossed his mind, but in his dreams, whether the ones at night or during the day, he did it out of love with Anne, and should he ever get to that point, the point of her shedding her last layer and exposing herself to him, then it would be with meaning, his whole being would love hers, but it was a long way and at that moment only a wish that his heart held, not knowing if it would ever be fulfilled, being aware of the fact that the most important thing that must fall are the bricks of the walls that she built all these years to even get permission to enter the paradise of seduction.

"Mary, you've got it all wrong. She's not some random hook-up. That's what you think, isn't it?" He asked with a chuckle that he released into the palm of his right hand he had brought to his mouth, seeing Mary's curious look, her head a tad jolted whilst she eyed his face. 

What he couldn't see, however, was Anne's face, hidden behind his strong back muscles, turning a shade of red that gave her face a color almost resembling that of her hair. She wished she could bury her face between his shoulder blades or that the ground would open under her feet and swallow her whole. The thought of Mary assuming she had had sex with Gilbert made her uncomfortable, not that she hadn't thought of it herself, her friend Cole and her subconscious were quite talented at putting the idea of it in her head, but it was something that would never happen, because why would a man as handsome as him cover his naked body with hers and align everything he was made of with everything that was part of herself?

Mary just sighed, unfolding her hands, one arm dangling casually at her side while she propped the other hand against her hip. "Who is she then? I mean, what else am I supposed to think. After all, this is the first time you've brought a woman home in a long time."

"This woman is present, Mary. Anything you say, she can hear. Just a reminder" Gilbert informed her, visibly uncomfortable, nervously raising his right hand to his neck, which he scratched nervously, thus following the natural behavior that he always shows when nervousness spreads through his body. 

Anne didn't need to learn this way how few acquaintances he had made with women in recent years. Well, he certainly would have had the opportunity, had he ever had the interest in one, but Anne was the first, after Winifred, to arouse his interest, in a way that was in no way comparable to his interest back then for his highschool sweetheart. Anne was fireworks and breathlessness, passion and goosebumps, depth and his greatest adventure. She was all the things Winnie was never able to make him feel. The British blonde was a beautiful shell with whom everything was easy, but ease was not what his heart desired.

In the end, it was Anne who plucked up the courage and came out from behind Gilbert, walking the few steps to the door that separated her from Bash's wife. Standing in front of her and attempting a smile the moment she extended her hand in greeting, opening her mouth to address her words to the woman, whose expression by now softened, returning a smile to Anne.

"Hi, Mary!" She greeted, self-conscious fiddling with the gold buckle of his belt she was wearing. She didn't know how to behave, wanting to make a good impression on Mary, who was after all family to Gilbert. The older one's lips curved a little more, giving a sympathetic and above all reassuring smile that said without words, "It's all right darling go ahead." And that's exactly what Anne did. "I am glad to meet you. Gilbert has already told me a lot about you and don't worry, Gil didn't break the house rules. I'm just a clumsy friend of his who, of course, had to run right into him while I was holding a hot drink in my hand. Long story short, I spilled it all over my blouse and Gilbert was nice enough to help me out with some of his stuff."

The lovely sound of her giggling filled the room, stirring Gilbert's insides that couldn't help but feel the reaction to it, the tingle in his stomach that hadn't left him in 3 weeks and was solely her fault. The melody that floated through the room must have been contagious, because Mary had to giggle as well, in whose demeanor nothing of her anger was recognizable anymore, flooding the young medical student and bookstore owner with a wave of relief.

"Gil, as you called him, has pretty good taste. " She gave Gilbert a knowing smile, seeing him first roll his eyes and then sheepishly lower his hazel eyes down, looking shyly at his brown leather boots but wearing a gentle smile anyway. "I have to say...that's a look. Green is your color, my dear."

"Thank you, someone already told me that today. And I'm starting to believe it myself." Anne replied, looking over her shoulder at Gilbert, who was drawing circles in the floor with his foot. 

The pitter-patter of little feet could be heard in the hallway, dressed in yellow socks with a Minnie Mouse print, tiptoeing across the cream carpet of the foyer. The mini version of Mary suddenly came out from behind her mother, her dark curls in braided pigtails held together with two yellow bows. "Mommy!" Delphine Lacroix clasped her two small hands around her mother's right leg, first looking up at her, noticing with a toothy smile how her hair was being stroked by her mother. Then for the first time, her eyes fell on Anne, whose smile only grew at the sight of the sweet five-year-old girl. Chocolate brown eyes widened enthusiastically. The little girl started jumping up and down, startling her mother, who didn't know where her daughter's enthusiasm came from so suddenly. "She's here mommy, she's really here. Anne the fairy is here."

"Anne!" Mary whispered to herself, feeling the tugging of Dellie, who was still expressing her euphoria. She came to a realization that left her speechless. The young woman with the flaming red hair was not only the one Mary knew and was sure Gilbert had at least a crush on, but also ASC, her favorite author. Of course, Bash had told her about the night of the contract signing, which is why she knew the whole story, which was so implausible, given that it sounded like the stuff fairy tales are made of, and all the novels she read every night before bed. But she saw it too, the connection between Gilbert and Anne that anyone with two healthy eyes could not miss. There was something between the two that could not be denied. Anne spoke of herself as a friend of his. Mary, however, could not believe this, not when they always looked at each other as if they were the only two people in the room.

  
  


Confused by the little girl's words, who looked at her as if Anne were a mythical creature that had jumped out of one of her many storybooks, the author looked questioningly at Gilbert, who just shrugged his shoulders and grinned at her. From him she shifted her attention back to Delphine, who never stopped looking at the redhead with big wide eyes, wearing one of the sweetest smiles on her lips Anne had ever been gifted with.

"Fairy?"

Nodding and with her teddy bear, Wisteria, tucked under her arm, Dellie waddled over to Anne, a twinkle in her eyes that spoke of admiration. Wanting to be at eye level with the little girl, the attentive and curious redhead crouched down, her hands folded in her lap, her rosy lips curved into a sweet smile that the lively little girl put there. The angelic sound of Dellie's voice was a lovely melody to all, echoing through the room. A radiance lit up her face, in which so much resemblance to her mother was on display. "Hmm!" The five-year-old hummed, hugging Wisteria tightly, who was her favorite stuffed animal, not only because she named him after her favorite book character, but because he was won by her favorite uncle. "Uncle Gilby said you were a fairy. He didn't know for sure if you were a queen but he said you were as beautiful as a queen and he wasn't lying. You are so pretty. Daddy always says you're the queen of Uncle Gilby's heart, whatever that means." Dellie needed a brief pause, taking a deep breath while not only Anne's but Gilbert's cheeks grew redder, wearing a blush caused by the girl's words. Anne wondered how much truth there was in the words, trying to push away the thought that Gilbert really meant what he confided to his niece.

"Are you a queen? I have never met a real queen." Delphine then added to her former words.

Bash suddenly peeked into the room, first giving Mary a gentle kiss before opening his mouth. Gilbert knew immediately that it would be best if Mary's lips distracted Sebastian's forever, but even the sweetest and most tender kiss from her can't keep the older bookstore owner from teasing Gilbert, and so the younger of the two bookstore owners sighed, darting his eyes back to Anne, who at that moment was surprised by Dellie with a kiss on the cheek. It was enough for Gilbert to make his heart melt as the lips he hoped to kiss in the future lifted to the most beautiful curve that had graced Anne's mouth in the time he had known her.

"You are right my little angel. Anne is a queen. She is the queen of Uncle Gilby's heart. Isn't that right Gilby Goo?" Sebastian questioned, his Trinidadian accent leaving his mouth in a lilt, his trademark toothy grin visible to all. Oh, how he loved to tease Gilbert. It was just something essential to him, like breathing, just something he couldn't imagine his life without. Even Gilbert's death stare, which he received from him at that moment, but skillfully ignored, couldn't change that.

He had to chuckle, amusement written all over his face. "It's good to see you, Queen Anne. I wish I could say the same about you, Blythe." From Anne, he got only a nod in acknowledgment. She was afraid that if she became involved in a conversation with him, she would also make herself a victim of his teasing. For her, it was bad enough that she had people like Cole and Jerry in her life who considered it their hobby to complicate Anne's life with their teasing, and as sympathetic as she found Sebastian, she didn't need a third of the sort.

"The fabulous bookstore is waiting for the queen and her court jester. Ruby is already downstairs but I'm sure she'd love some help. So Clownbert take your queen and show her the kingdom that is Global and Bookish."

Gilbert mouthed a "Fuck You!" in Sebastian's direction, noticing how the pressure in his brain was increasing. Bash's laughter gave him a headache, but that was nothing new considering it had become a daily occurrence for him over the past six years, all thanks to Bash, of course. Meanwhile, Anne was engaged in conversation with Delphine, who suddenly stomped her feet on the floor, crossing her arms in front of her chest as she turned to look at her father, pouting. Anne tried to stifle her laughter, exchanging a look with Gilbert that passed unnoticed by everyone else, saying; The little one is a wild thing.

"Can't Queen Anne stay here with me? We've only just become friends. Pretty please, Daddy." Dellie tried her best puppy dog eyes, after all she was a smart five year old girl who knew how to get what she wanted. But even more, she knew that she was her daddy's weak spot, who would do almost anything to make his daughter happy.

"No, my angel. Anne has to work but you can go with her and show her the store."

Beaming, Delphine then grabbed Anne's right hand and pulled her down with her. The author tagged along, walking beside the girl who still looked at her adoringly, feeling the piercing gaze of hazel eyes behind her back, doing what they always did, following her with every step. With two newfound friends, she descended the stairs, now carrying the certainty that one of them was more than that. Gilbert Blythe was so much more, and she didn't know how to deal with that realization. She found more in him than in any men before, someone who for the first time in her life felt like something safe, an anchorage where she wanted to anchor her heart that had the inexplicable feeling of having found a home in him. Although she had traveled countless times, and been far from her home, the feeling she had to feel at that moment never overcame her. She was homesick. It was homesickness for him and that feeling grew worse as he neared her and intertwined his right hand with her left. Hand in hand, she made her way with Dellie and Gilbert to the bookstore where her first day of work was about to begin and only one question circulated in her mind.

"Friends hold hands, right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Anne's first day of work at Global and Bookish finally begins. You'll get more of her and Dellie. She gets to know Ruby, and with her, her jealous side. (Sorry, that part didn't fit in the current chapter), Bash is here to tease and Gilbert is blinded by love. He shows his heart eyes and everyone sees them, well almost everyone....


	9. Paper Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert and Anne are supposed to be working, but Delphine has other plans. Dellie not only has heart eyes for a certain fairy queen herself, but also discovers them in others, and not just in hazel eyes. With her discovery, which of course she can't keep to herself, she causes a lot of confusion. Bash isn't here yet, but don't worry, Dellie and another young lady are just as good at making Gilbert's life miserable. Anne finally meets Ruby and discovers her jealous side. 
> 
> A chapter with a lot of secret longing and heart eyes upon heart eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear readers! This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one but really just a bit. In the last two weeks, I've written almost 26k words that I could not squeeze into one chapter. That means over half of the next chapter is already written. This story is a slow burn so don't expect too much anytime soon. Sure, there is longing and moments that bring Anne and Gilbert closer but we are still at the beginning of it all. Anne will regret her decision to offer Gilbert her friendship, but it's important to the story that they are friends first and get to know each other better as the story progresses. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and that it is not too long. I would appreciate feedback especially on the length of the chapters because I never know if it's too long and boring in the end. Feel free to share your thoughts on this one. I'm always open to constructive criticism and happy to hear what people who read this story think about it. For a writer, the best motivation to keep going is the feedback from their readers!

The natural light of this frosty December morning fell gloomily through the large green lacquered windows of the cozy bookstore rooted amid the heart of Toronto, a shallow incidence of light full of dreariness, in no way capable of granting the rooms of Global and Bookish with the luminosity that it needed to offer brightness to the many customers who choose to spend their hours there in the adequately heated rooms of the small shop, being on the quest for new adventures and romantic tales. Gray clouds veiled the celestial sphere above the city, sucking out the brilliancy of the sky that just a few minutes ago hued the scenery in a wintry white, now shrouded by a net of grayness that lay over the thick clouds, painting a glum picture of colorlessness, for which the god of weather and the mother of nature did not have to use many brushstrokes, a dab in the color palette that had only a dark shade of gray to offer, mixed with some white was enough to turn the skies and clouds into a mousy tone in this morning hour. The typical restless hustle and bustle of the city of millions boomed through all the alleys and streets, loud and hectic sounding across the grounds, just as the expected daily back and forth of a city that never sleeps. In the midst of the chaos on the streets, the quiet fall of snow ceased descending from the welkin to the earth, much to the delight of all those making their way to their classes or workplaces, some with their motorized vehicles, attempting to manage it through the masses of snow, while others stomped across the blanket that had fallen on the city, paving the streets and sidewalks with a new load of powdery flakes. 

In the red brick house on Montgomery Avenue, the workday was about to begin for Anne and Gilbert, the two new friends who had a particular belief that they were more than that, not quite ready to find out if they could trust the gut feeling they perceived. Two magnetized hearts, however, gave off a whisper, offering the answer to this certain question with a breathed 'yes'. Well, Anne wasn't keen to look deep into her heart and discern what it held for him, Gilbert in turn had an indestructible sense of certainty, knowing that this undeniable bond between them spoke of more than friendship ever could, something that touched the deepest parts of both beings, with soft words, gentle fingertips, and intimate glances that someone only bestowed upon the person their heart cries out for. He was sure, but he lacked the confirmation that she felt the same ache in her heart as his own did for her.

As they signed the contracts for her upcoming reading a few days ago, it was Anne who propositioned to work at Global and Bookish to get to know the environment of the bookstore better and then to be able to prepare for her reading of the third and last part of her Tragical Romance book series, which was soon to take place there. In the years since she published her works under the pseudonym ASC, she gave many recitals of her works, mostly in stores of about the same size as Global and Bookish, without ever revealing her true identity or that it reached the public in any way. She often thought it was luck or the excellent work of Diana and Cole that she could keep her identity a secret for so long. Sometimes it occurred that even the owners of the bookstores where Anne read didn't know who the talented redhead was in truth. Now, however, everything was different, not only the fact that Gilbert and Sebastian knew ASC stood for Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, but also that the relationship she had with Gilbert was so much unlike the ones she had with other bookstore owners. There were some in the past who tried to flirt with her, while she basically just wanted to do her job and introduce her books to the many book lovers who attended her readings. Anne assumed that the mysterious haze that surrounded her attracted these men, some like Roy seeking a place in the light of her success, while others were simply keen on wanting to solve the mystery that she was to so many people. Anne, however, didn't respond to any of the advances, never feeling that any of these men were capable of breaking down the walls inside her. But with Gilbert, for the first time, she dared to cross the line between a business relationship and what goes beyond it, and it scared her, because the step into friendship, even if she knew that this line never existed in the first place, would entail having to put her trust in his hands with her eyes closed, and if there was one thing she had trouble with, it was trusting someone blindly.

When they reached the lower rooms of the red brick house, two hands let go of Anne, one that was small, tender and so fragile that Anne hardly dared to hold it, and the warm one of him, who had descended the stairs with the redhead the same way he had ascended them this morning, with her hand in his and another time he touched her in a way that was strong and protective, telling her without words exactly what she always felt in his presence. With the alignment of his fingertips with hers, he imprinted stamps on her skin, reminding her each time of what she could feel as soon as she was near him.

'I'll take care of you. Don't be afraid, you're safe with me!' 

Beyond a doubt, she felt safe, but when she climbed down the staircase, she was still afraid of tripping over her own feet and falling down the steps given the fact that the warmth of his hands, his firm grip, and the two dimples dancing in his face as he gave her his heart-melting smile made her legs tremble, feeling like wobbly noodles. Her feet tingled, ready to take off from the ground to fly skyward to the moon. With the intertwining of his hand with hers, he was giving her wings, albeit she always was under the assumption that they would never spread wide open for the reason that she thought they would never flutter for the rest of her life, broken and damaged caused by the trauma of her adolescence. In the presence of him, she always felt the lift-off, the loss of the gravity that usually tethered her to the ground, and as battered as her soul and heart might be, with what he did he trimmed her wings in a way that they were movable again, but what purpose do they serve if Anne lacked the courage to fly? 

  
  


Knowing that he was not a friend, but not having the awareness of what he was instead, she dared not to give in to the feeling, held back by the beliefs of her consciousness that alerted her, warning her not to fly, because someone who dares to soar up to the sky risks a hard landing and as much as she would have liked to, she couldn't do it, not if his feet stayed on the ground and he didn't heave with her to the heights that she only wanted to explore with him. Gilbert Blythe only just became her friend and although she felt he was her soulmate, in what kind of way she yet had to figure out, she felt she could never cause the tremors in his limbs that she always felt in hers as soon as she was with him. 

Her hand felt naked now that his palm no longer covered it, somehow, as if a part of herself had left her physique with the departure of his hand, and she believed she knew exactly which one it was. It went to him without taking notice of it, quietly, placing itself into his grasp like a weightless snowflake that suddenly landed there while descending, falling as deep as she did for him. In the same way that winter's kisses, shaped in uniqueness, melt on the layer of the human skin, so did her heart, which, she now registered, he had before she had the chance to hold it back from getting lost to him. It hit her like a lightning flash, her feelings for him crawling up into the day of light, emotions she never felt for anyone else, although she didn't know what it was. Right now, all she was aware of was the fact that she was feeling it for the very first time. She realized it, as he stood by the last step of the stairs and took Delphine's tiny hand, the very one she had just held in hers, and brought the little girl to him, placing her on one step to put on the shoes she had forgotten upstairs in the Blythe/Lacroix household, since she became to euphoric at the prospect of spending time with Anne, the fairy queen. That was what the five-year-old's imagination led her to believe. Anne was a fairy queen who could leave the same mystical and ethereal impression on Dellie as she did on the young co-owner of the bookstore, whose rooms she would soon reach with him and the little girl.

"Honey bee, you need to put on shoes while you're at the store. All those people are carrying in the snow and dirt from outside, and I'm sure you don't want your pretty Minnie Mouse socks ruined, right?" Gilbert knelt in front of Delphine, who had her teddy bear Wisteria tucked tightly under her right arm. It would never occur to her to be without her favorite teddy bear for even a minute a day, so it was no wonder she wanted to carry the brown plush toy into the Global and Bookish rooms too. Gilbert's words came along with a sweet kiss which he placed on the top of her foot, right on the bow that adorned Minnie Mouse's head, getting a smile out of Dellie, who shook her head in response, her two braided pigtails swinging in the air in the act.

"No, these are my favorite socks. I can't risk ruining them. Mommy wouldn't like it either if I do."

"I thought so. I know how much my little girl loves her Minnie Mouse socks, although I don't think you love them any more than I love you." Gilbert patted her head, smiling affectionately at her just before he began untying the shoelaces of the tiny shoes he held in his hands.

It was so loving how carefully and with what tenderness he then lifted her tiny feet and helped her slip into the white sneakers he had taken with him before he made his way downstairs, somehow acting as if he was Prince Charming helping Cinderella into the crystal slipper she had lost after the clock struck midnight. 

Standing right next to him, Anne witnessed him planting a second loving kiss on the little girl's chubby cheek. "Cute!" she said unexpectedly, voicing her thoughts aloud, feeling the warmth in her stomach area brought on by the sight of his affectionate display towards Delphine. Whilst she watched Gilbert still kneeling on the floor looking up at her, his eyebrow raised in curiosity, Anne felt she had to add something to her statement. "I mean, you two are cute. Delphine a little more than you, of course."

She smiled warmly, mirth sparkling in her eyes during the time the curve on her lips rounded her cheeks. Her fragile heart was about to burst with overwhelming emotions at the sight of him and Delphine. What she saw was simply a sight to behold, a view that could melt not only hearts but entire icebergs, something that left clear marks on Anne. Suddenly an unexpected and strong desire made itself felt in her, whispering the wish to be his Cinderella, the Queen of his heart, the woman he helps slip into the shoe that would represent the beating crux of her essence that she had lost to him, of that she was sure, the moment his gaze shifted once more from Delphine to her. She sensed some kind of magic in the air, the same sizzling voltage that was always there whenever their eyes came into collision with each other, or maybe it was just the feeling she always deciphered when his eyes pierced so far into hers that he could glimpse into the garden of her soul. She wasn't sure if she believed in such a thing as magic, but as the most tender eyes she had ever seen stumbled into her ocean blue orbs, it surrounded her; all the magical contents the being of him held.

"Anne-girl!" Gilbert breathed, addressing her with the new nickname he gave her and which she still had to get used to, rolling from his tongue like a prayer directed to the heavens above. He coerced her to center her attention on him, making Anne wonder if it was just a simple nickname for her or perhaps a term of endearment; an expression for the person who rules over his kingdom, his heart, his mind, and every cell of his body. She deliberated if she could be that person for him. A part of her she wished to pay no mind to, carried the strange desire of being or someday becoming the queen who reigned over the kingdom of his existence. But she did what she always did when this demand was on the way to clamber to the surface. She silenced the cries, believing to never be good enough for a man like him.

Meanwhile, all of Gilbert’s words got stuck in his throat because the sight of her hindered them from leaving his lips. As he walked down the stairs beside her, his focus on the thought of holding her dainty hand, he completely forgot that his green plaid shirt covered her curves, his brown belt made of leather outlining them, shaping soft mounds that he trailed with his wide eyes, secretly wishing to trail them with the pads of his fingers. His hazel orbs roamed unabashedly across her body, from her hips to her breasts, to her long freckled neck, the chin she held aloft, the red cushions in which he strived his to sink. He motioned his gaze lower to the stars, illuminating her creamy complexion until his eye fell into hers. He looked at her like a work of art on display in the Louvré, his own Mona Lisa that he had to admire openly.

"Gil?" Anne said, pronouncing the three letters as a question, the moment he dragged her deeper into the labyrinth from which she seldom found her way out, having no remedy at hand against the pull that might keep her from plunging into the whirl of hazel eyes whilst Gilbert did the same with hers.

Like a ship crossing the seven seas, Gilbert sank into the bluest vastness, searching for something, a hint of what she felt when she was near him, but as might be expected, he didn't get to find what he was seeking, getting carried away by the storm of the ocean that her eyes held, gazing questioningly into his, obviously searching for the same answers as he was. He dove into her mesmerizing globes, his lips curving upward the second the greyish-blue pigmentation of her irises unfolded their might, hypnotizing him with the beauty he discerned in them. Gilbert forgot where he was whilst he was falling further into depths he no longer wanted to escape. While he couldn't, or rather wouldn't, get out of the maelstrom of her gaze, Anne couldn't help but get lost in his eyes as well, feeling, as she so often did, that intimacy that formed with each silent conversation of their gazes. The feeling inside her, this tingling in all her limbs, the blaze in her heart, all this was almost too much for her to take. She had a heart of paper and every time her glare met his he set it on fire, enveloping all of her insides with a warmth that reached her cheekbones, tinging them a shade of red that coated her skin with a burning sensation. Luckily, her salvation from being seared by the fire in hazel eyes came with the sound of Dellie's sweet childish voice, pulling Anne out of the maze of his gaze. 

"Queen Anne?" The girl began calling Anne by the name she seemed to have picked up from her father. Rising from the place she sat, she stood on the last step of the staircase from which she jumped off, and then reached for Anne's hand, lifting her small head to look up to the author she believed to be someone out of this world.

Dellie continued to look at the pretty redhead with that admiring look she gave her from the moment she first laid her chocolate button eyes on her, as did Gilbert, who had focused his attention on the redhead who gave her undivided focus entirely to Delphine, much to his chagrin. He knew how selfish it was, but he longed for her attention, her touch, her eyes, and all that she would offer him. He craved for red lips to give him the curve they shaped, for words meant for him. Everything of him hungered for her, waiting surrounded by loneliness for her in an uninhabited desert to find him there, hoping with every fiber he possessed she would be his oasis someday that would water his lips with kisses, feed his soul with her dreams and fears so that he could fathom all her depths, because that was what he wanted. He wanted her as a whole, her light and her darkness, the shadows and the sun that she both carried. He was aware of that but what he wanted first and foremost was to love her, to desire every inch of her being, and to love her as she deserved to be loved, ardently, and with a power that should inspire authors to write books and poems about it. Perhaps it was wrong to want all this from a person who apparently didn't seem to see anything more in him than a friend, but the heart just wants what it wants and he couldn't just repress the screams of his. After all, it would be like defending himself against the feelings he had for her, but that was not the goal he was striving for. If he had the choice, he would act out everything as he wished, but that would probably bring an alleged friendship to an end before it had started and the danger of that was too grand to take the risk of revealing his feelings for her anytime soon. Sighing, he saw how Anne treated Delphine and although he didn't know that it was possible; he fell in love with her a little more. Anne was so good with Dellie, a real natural at making the girl's eyes light up, and Gilbert's heart, full of warm feelings, longing but also scary, filled even more, swelling with all that Anne put into it.

Giving the sweet girl who won her heart from the beginning a radiant smile, Anne took Delphine's hand, cushioning it with the palm of her own, her head lowered to look the five-year-old in the eye while speaking with her. "Yeah, cutie pie?" she asked, with one eye on the girl and the other on Gilbert, whose eyes glittered with something more than admiration. 

A flame flickered in his eyes, knocking the air out of her lungs and making her gasp. What was it that placed those stars in his orbs and made them shine with a honey-gold glow that succeeded in sparking her interest in astronomy? The emotion in his gaze was enough for her to want to grab a telescope and gaze from sunrise to the darkening of the firmament into the stars dancing in his hazel eyes, discovering his infinite cosmos of which she was sure held undiscovered beauties, treasures that she found not only in his overflowing pools of hazel.

After a moment which she needed to gather herself, her attention then fell back to Delphine, the girl’s smile wide, lightning up her entire face. "Daddy said I could show you Global and Bookish. Do you want to see my favorite place there? It is like an enchanted forest. Daddy and Uncle Gilby made it especially for all the many children who love to read," she told Anne and bounced up and down in excitement while her arm was dangling in the air along with Anne's. Her warm chocolate brown eyes rounded, eagerly awaiting the answer of the young woman she thought was a mystical thing; a fairy queen sprung from one of the fanciful books her parents always read to her before bedtime. She must be a fairy queen, with her long red hair cascading over her shoulders, glowing like the setting sun, her big eyes containing a blue hue, a mix of gray and ocean blue Dellie had never seen in such a coloration before, orange dots that littered her fair complexion, and an aura that was mystical and enchanting at the same time. What else should the five-year-old girl think at the sight of Anne otherwise?

"Sure! Will you take me there? I don't know my way around here very well yet. You have to know that today is my very first time here, but I've heard a lot about Global and Bookish so far, and I can't wait to explore all the corners of it together with such a great guide like you." 

Delly bobbed her head up and down in response, expressing her joy at being able to show Anne her favorite place. A toothy grin spread over her face, resembling her father's, which always held a brightness enough to light up an entire room, her wide smile radiated nothing but the joy and euphoria of showing Anne Global and Bookish’s enchanted forest, as Delly thought a habitat where a fairy queen belongs.

After Anne’s words had left her mouth, her eyes traveled to Gilbert for a moment, noticing that he gazed at nothing but her the whole time, wearing a dreamy expression in his eyes and a mild smile on his lips, his arms crossed in front of his muscular chest, regarding the gorgeous soul in front of him. She questioned what he saw in her that made it impossible for him to take his hazel eyes off her. In a way she couldn't find the words for, she felt exposed to his glare, which was not unpleasant, but simply foreign. 

She looked over her shoulder but didn't see anyone, wanting to make sure it was really her he was looking at with that look, although she didn't know what it meant. But she desired to change that, searching for an answer only he could give her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She couldn't help but ask him, for the reason that it was a question that had occupied the forefront of her mind for weeks, squeezing Dellie’s hand a tad tighter than intended, which fortunately did not bother her.

His lips curled up into a smirk, unfolding his arms before he brought his right hand to his splendid chin, rubbing it with his thumb. He examined her with his intense gaze, in the meantime sorting his words for a reply. "What? I'm just admiring the view. You’re cute that’s all,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders, flashing her one of his dimpled smiles before he bit his lower lip as he saw the redness that colored her pretty face, sure that his words were the reason for the alluring hue. "And who knows, maybe I underestimated what it would be like to see you in something that belongs to me. You are the first woman to wear something that is mine and damn, Anne-girl, green is definitely your color. His hand went to his scalp, weaving his fingers through the texture of his curls until he reached the back of his head and scratched it, his head leaning slightly to the side without ceasing to look at the beauty with the fiery red hair, through whose tendrils he would rather have woven his fingers instead of through his mane and who gazed at him with her big blue eyes. 

”But maybe it's the way you are with Dellie as well. Usually, she is rather shy towards people she doesn't know. However, when I see you two together, I feel like you've been friends for years. It's almost like you're already a part of our family. Bash loves you and Mary will too once she gets to know you better and I...” He trailed off, afraid to reveal too much if he continued speaking. Anne's head lifted slightly, staring curiously into his eyes. 

"And you?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side, her eyes filled with questions. She sensed he was trying to hold something back. The flickering of the flames of hope fired through her body, increasing the throbbing of her pulse because for a split second she perceived a feeling that felt like a light in the darkness, a lighthouse that, as she drifted aimlessly on the sea, cast its radiance upon her, inviting her to follow the feeling in her heart that perhaps there thundered something within Gilbert, meant solely for her. He seemed to forbid himself to speak, preventing his lips from opening. She saw it in the way his lips parted and he drew his lower lip between his teeth, quietening himself to not say what had almost escaped his lips.

His Adam's apple bounced up and down as he swallowed. He couldn't tell her the three words that had burned into his lips, just waiting to be spoken aloud someday, but now was the wrong time. At some point, he would, no he has to tell her, but not today, probably not tomorrow either. If he has all of her trust, then the words he had never said to anyone, at least not with a romantic intention, would roll off his lips. He swore that to himself almost three hours ago when it dawned on him and he understood the extent of his feelings. For now, Anne had to live with the answer he was offering her at that moment.

“Um, I admire you, of course! You're beautiful, and such a warm-hearted person. Your talent is mind-blowing and all in one you’re amazing. No wonder everyone falls head over heels in love with you. Just look at Dellie, the admiration for you in her eyes. I think sometimes we both just can't help but look at you.”

Half the truth was hidden in his utterance, causing Anne to rock nervously back and forth, wishing she could tear her gaze away from him, but she couldn't, the force in the magnetic field of his hazel eyes was just too strong and so she swallowed back the words she wished to say, rephrasing them in her mind before she uttered them out loud, releasing a whisper into the air. 

"I...I... I guess that was a compliment. So thank you, Gil." She thanked him, voicing her words in a stammer and feeling the warmth of her cheek, the prickle underneath her skin, warming her entire constitution. Who the hell fell head over heels in love with her? She questioned in silence while she wasn't sure what to do with his compliment and why it had such an impact on him that she was wearing his shirt. She always wore some hoodie or shirt that belonged to Cole and Jerry, but neither of them ever reacted to seeing her in their clothes the way Gilbert did, and it was a strange feeling not to know where that reaction came from. All she knew was that it only added to her confusion.

He could not get rid of the smile that formed the hollows into which Anne wanted to blow her breath and then grace them with hundreds of kisses. “It was one and you're welcome. I just want you to know what a wonderful person you are, inside... and out,” he said, accompanying his words with a wink which others might have consider flirtatious, but not Anne who was too oblivious when it came to things like these, still sensing his piercing stare on her freckled face.

His behavior surprised Anne, her eyebrows raised and arched, her mouth agape whilst she questioned why he always managed to make her so nervous. “Oh...um… Thanks... Ahh, I already said that.” She wished a trapdoor would open under her feet so she could disappear, embarrassedly aware of the heat on her cheeks that was beginning to spread all over her visage. “Ugh, I am so stupid” The last sentence came in a whisper that Anne wished Gilbert hadn't heard. Her wish remained unfulfilled the moment Gilbert's throaty chuckle sounded through the area.

"It's fine. You're cute when you stutter, but what is new? After all, you are always cute,” he told her, a coy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he fell deeper into the ocean of her eyes. Friends can say such things to each other, can't they?

Anne gulped. No one ever looked at her as if she was all that mattered in the world, a precious thing that he admired in the open, because that was the feeling that the contents of his orbs gave her. Whenever he fixed his eyes on her, it made her feel valued, important, and if she was the most special human, he was ever allowed to associate with. It was so penetrating, the stare, that she believed he could see right through all her layers with it, the fabric of her clothes and underneath the surface of her skin. Every time he looked at her in this way, it was as if the world halted for a moment, and all that had a bearing was the conversation between eyes that attracted like magnets, aligning to collide. Both of them were thieves, stealing so many things by just gazing into greyish-blue eyes and greenish-brown ones, coherent thoughts, smiles they put on each other's lips, breaths, and words. They could feel that they were taking away all these things, glancing into each other's souls. However, what they did not manage, although they tried, was to see into the heart of the other, not knowing that it was impossible to succeed with it, because how could they see into something that they had lost?

At some point it became too much for Anne, so she broke the intense eye contact. Instead, she bowed her head downwards, her peepers centered at the rough gray fabric of the carpet albeit it was hard for her to separate from his warm hazel globes given that they simply held the two magnets that kept trying to pull her back into his gaze. What his eyes held shifted the gravity of Anne's being towards him every time, and most of it, there was nothing she could do about it. The eye contact that both had just exchanged with each other simply held a weight that she could no longer bear. All of it affected Gilbert as well. The young co-owner of Global and Bookish had to shake his head to get himself out of the spell she had put over him, his cute curls bouncing in the air the minute he took a few steps backward to build up some distance. As he did so, curious chocolate brown eyes followed him, noisily witnessing everything that went on between him and Anne with interest. 

"Uh, we should go!” Anne suggested as she angled her head downwards. “Will you lead me in the direction we need to head?" She looked down at Delphine, wishing to find an escape from hazel eyes that followed her every move, receiving a nod and a sunny smile in return from the girl she had addressed.

"Yes! Come with me, Queen Anne. You will love it.” Dellie beamed, happy about Anne’s proposal. “Oh, finally, finally we have a real fairy in the enchanted forest. This is the best day ever." 

Her joy at leading Anne into the enchanted forest, as she called it, which was actually the children's corner of the bookstore, was expressed with a bounce in her step, dragging Anne along with her to get there as quickly as possible. Anne tried to stifle her giggles, but Dellie's joy at having her by her side was too adorable, and so she let out the sounds that made Gilbert’s heart flutter every time he heard them.

But they did not get further than a few strides, stopped by Gilbert, who feared his and Anne's paths would part. The noise of a raucous cough rang through the area as he cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, searching for the voice she had robbed him of when he drowned in the ocean of the author’s eyes.

"Um...Do you mind if I join you on your way to the enchanted forest, my princess and queen? What if you encounter dragons along your way that need to be slain? It’s just that you must know that I am a trained dragon slayer. I am sure I can be of help.” He humored in jest with a boyish grin plastered on his face, trying hard not to sound too desperate. There was a glimmer of hope twinkling in his orbs that never ceased to regard Anne, his two thumbs buried in his tight pants pockets made of black jeans fabric while he casually leaned his back against a wall in the hallway at the back of the store’s main rooms. 

For the very first time, he had found a person he wanted to follow anywhere, even back to the city that had been a black mark on the map of his heart for so many years. Anne smelled of the lavender fields of Avonlea, her long tendrils shining like the red and orange glowing eventide he gazed into as a boy when the day turned into the evening and the sun was setting, all the moments he wished for the days to never end because each new one was a step closer to the last one with his dad. Her eyes made him remember of the ocean, in whose rushing waves he heard the call of the sea as he was standing on the cliffs, listening to the rustle of the meadow leaves and the language of the sea, telling him to follow his instincts, which he always did in the end. The stars dancing on her milky porcelain complexion, the craters that came with her smile were akin to the bright nocturnal sky above Avonlea, bringing forth the memories of the nights, as he whispered his prayers into the starlit firmament, talking to the moon to unload what weighed on his heart, all the fear and pain of one day having to live a life without his beloved father. Without ever having met her in Avonlea, he was sure, Anne embodied the small town, making Gilbert homesick, longing for her arms more than the farmer town on Prince Edward Island. As much as he had feared being reminded of Avonlea in recent years, somehow he felt he was losing the fear of the memory of it with her. Anne felt like home, not because of her connection to Avonlea, but the one to him, and he wished to anchor in her.

While Gilbert was engrossed in his vision of Anne and the thought of his hometown, the wheels were once again rotating in Anne's mind, forming a question. 

Did he call me his queen?

She agitated her head to the left and right, red waves of fire slapping against the milky paleness of her face whilst she tried to get a grip over her emotional chaos. Deciding to think nothing more of it, she assumed he didn't want to leave Dellie by herself with a woman who was technically a stranger to her because that's basically what she was to the little girl. It was probably some kind of game, acting in the role of Prince Gilbert, who offered his services to Princess Delphine and Queen Anne. 

However, Anne has always been good with children. The years in the foster homes taught her in the hardest of ways to take care of kids, who usually came in bunches, and although she was mostly no older than most of them, she tried hard to give them what their parents couldn't or wouldn't give them, a warm meal, a clean and made bed, sometimes a hug and on other days a shoulder to cry on. She would never call them something like her foster siblings, their parents were too barbaric for that, but they were made of the same stuff in a way, one that required them to survive in the frosty homes that knew no love and were surrounded with none. That's why Anne found it easy to connect with Dellie, who she knew was getting all the love a child deserves, everything she could only dream of when she was Delphine's age.

Gilbert's motives to tag along with his niece and the dryad were of course quite egotistical. Although he had spent plenty of time with her that morning, in fact even more than he thought he would ever get with her, it wasn’t enough. He preferred to be as close to Anne as possible, to spend as much time in her proximity as he could get, that's why he crossed his fingers behind his back and hoped to get permission to come with.

"I think we are powerful enough to slay all those dragons without your help. You know, Dellie and I are warrior princesses who don't need a prince." Anne slanted her head back, gleefully releasing a laugh into the palm of her free hand, nearly bursting Gilbert’s hopes with her statement, sucking the color out of his face, which paled the moment he bent his head down. 

He pondered for a while until he had an idea that could save him, putting all his hope in his niece. So he parted his lips to share his thought.

"I would never doubt your strength. Even though I haven't known you long, I know you are one of the strongest people I have ever met, but don't you think Dellie has a say in that? I think we should let her decide whether or not her favorite uncle may join you."

Anne wished she could wipe that silly but adorable grin off his face that he flashed at her, perhaps by kissing it away. Oh, she hated the craving she felt not only for his lips, feeling like a drought summer longing for the first drops of rain. But he was right. It would be unfair to decide over the girl's head, yet Anne had to roll her eyes at his persistence. 

Not wanting to decide alone, Anne knelt to the grey carpeting of the floor, taking both of Delphine's small hands in hers, looking up at the girl who gave her a toothy smile. She was missing one of her front teeth, but it was a sunny smile, one that had enough energy to put a smile on Anne's lips as well. The curve that graced the redhead's lips was a sweet one before it faded the moment she opened her mouth to ask Dellie for her opinion on the topic.

"What do you think, cutie pie? Should we take your uncle with us on our adventurous journey through the magical bookstore that Global and Bookish is? Do you think we need a Prince Charming or Dragon Slayer in our quest for new adventures?" She sought answers in the time she caressed Dellie's hands with the pads of her fingers in an attempt to build trust between herself and the girl. She just wanted to show her she didn't have to be afraid of her, although she didn't seem to be, and that Dellie had captured her heart somehow. Surely, not utterly, after all, it went into the hands of the one who, as she could feel, was still shooting glances in her direction, but Delphine could claim parts of it and it didn't surprise Anne. At least she had the feeling that the little girl would win a lot of hearts in the future, some of which she might even break.

Placing her index finger over her mouth and propping her hand on her hip, Dellie thought about what Anne had suggested, giving Gilbert a hard time with it, who wanted nothing more than to gyrate near Anne, like a satellite that wanted to float in her atmosphere, circling in her proximity veered to count every star on her milky complexion, with his eyes tracing constellations that one day he desired to explore with the smoothness of his craving lips.

Having made up her mind, Dellie came to a conclusion she wanted to share with the two adults who as she noticed appeared to like to look at each other, especially her uncle who wasn't capable of tearing his eyes away from the pretty redheaded fairy queen. "If we absolutely must, then let him come along. Uncle Gilby can't stop giving you heart eyes anyway, and before he starts crying he'd better come with us. I just don't want him to be sad. But please stop arguing like mommy and daddy always do." Dellie gave her uncle a smile that he couldn't quite return the way he wanted to. And though he tried, it wasn't one that reached his eyes, instead it was one filled with nervousness. 

Why do kids always have to say straight out what they're thinking? 

Anne looked at him with question marks in her eyes, as he came to the assumption that she probably wanted to know what Delphine meant by her statement. 

Heart eyes? Was that really what he was looking at her with? Did his eyes show what his heart held for Anne? All the feelings that added up to love? Nervously, Gilbert scratched the back of his neck, giving Anne the hint that he must feel uneasy. 

Despite the few weeks she had known him by now, she could already read him well enough to know, for example, that his eyebrows raise every time something confuses him and goes in search of answers to the questions in his mind, or that he clears his throat whenever something makes him uncomfortable. Gilbert Blythe was an open book to her in many ways. But even though he already read her some pages from it, giving her glimpses into the life of his soul, she wished to unfold the chapters of his very essence, his heart made of paper of which she desired to read all the lines and paragraphs to find out if there was a hidden place with her name somewhere in it.

“We don't argue like your parents.” Anne reasoned, not knowing if she was right, considering that she had no insight into the Lacroix marriage. All she saw so far was a happy couple. She was sure that they argued now and then, just as every pair does from time to time, but the couple radiated more happiness than anything else.

“You do! Only you don't kiss afterward like mommy and daddy always do and you give Uncle Gilby the same heart eyes he gives you.”

Delphine's statement came as more than a surprise to the two adults, who exchanged glances, containing question marks upon question marks, waiting to be turned into exclamation points. 

The author tried to talk her way out of it somehow, scratching her scalp before her words escaped her mouth. "There are no hearts in my eyes. Not for your uncle, and not for anyone else."

Although Anne denied looking at him with what Delphine in her childish but cute way called heart eyes, the heart rate under the layer of his left chest increased rapidly as did his breathing, his front rising and falling hastily. Was it possible that her heart contained the same feelings as his and brought them to the surface of her eyes? 

Attempting to keep his countenance, he raised his bushy left eyebrow, looking at Dellie. As he did so, the crease formed on his forehead that came through every time one of his two eyebrows rose. "Heart eyes, honey bee? I don't look at anyone with that. Okay, I may look at you with that, but what else should I do? After all, you're the cutest little girl the world has ever seen." Flashing his niece a blinding smile, he then crooked his head to where Anne stood, who didn’t like to be unprotected from the intense and heavy gaze he always sent into her direction. That's why she avoided his glances, turning to Delphine whose right hand she enclosed with her left one, attempting to focus her attention fully on the girl as they continued to walk to the primary rooms of the bookstore. The young Global and Bookish co-owner trailed behind them, his hands clasped behind his back, wondering what was going on in Anne's head that second, hearing Delphine muttering something under her breath.

“Liar!”

Without uttering a word, Anne and Gilbert came nearer to the main rooms of Global and Bookish. The only audible sound came out from Dellie's mouth, humming an unfamiliar tune that fell bubbly from her lips, seemingly content with Anne by her side.

“Admit that you give me heart eyes, Anne-girl,” Gilbert said after some minutes of silence, his voice chirping like a canary's, not sounding quite like his, staring holes into her backside. “I'm just not quite sure if friends give each other such eyes.” His words came with a mirthless laugh that faded as quickly as it came. They were intended to be teasing, following the motto of trying humor when nothing works. It was old advice from Bash, but one easier said than done as there was more significance in his words than he wanted to admit. 

“You forget that according to Dellie you give me the same eyes,” Anne replied, mustering the courage to look over her shoulder, seeing Gilbert take off his glasses, puffing his breath on the glassy lenses before cleaning them with his shirt, exposing parts of the hard muscles of his abdomen his move brought to view. Heaving his head, his eyes connected with hers, which she immediately tore away from him, afraid he would see the redness of her cheeks the peep on his skin had painted there. Nevertheless, she still had something to say.

“Plus, you are a handsome man. I think you are used to getting heart eyes from many women. I don't know what Dellie saw in my eyes, but they certainly weren't full of hearts. If I gave you looks like that, you would know it.” Not finding the courage to look over her shoulder once more, she looked straight ahead, letting Dellie lead her, for the reason that she didn't know where this so-called enchanted forest the girl insisted on showing her was supposed to be.

“Would I?” Gilbert asked, a line appearing between his brows the moment his left one rose, not visible for the redhead walking with her back turned in front of him.

“Yeah!” Anne's heavy exhalation met the air, thick with tension, always hovering above them. Although she resisted the thought, she knew that everything they did was the creator of this tension, which was one that never seemed to disappear, thickening like a cloud that gathered everything, emotions that were quiet on the outside but all the louder within their bodies, glances that were shot back and forth, words in which there was more weight than they dared to admit. At some point, every cloud breaks under the weight and has to release what is gathering inside. Anne wondered to herself when the cloud full of tension would do it and what would be the outcome if it exploded.

She shrugged her shoulders, clearly seeable for Gilbert, who followed only her body, walking behind her, always moving his head to the side to which the curves of her hips swayed. “I think a single glance can do something to someone. Unless the way I look at you makes your heart beat faster and your knees weak, I don't think I look at you the way Dellie described. It's no secret that you're good-looking. Who knows, maybe I enjoy admiring the view as much as you do.” Her giggle was as joyless and forced as Gilbert's laughter before. Subconsciously, there was a loaded weight in everything. No matter how hard they tried to keep it light, there was a certain something that made it impossible for them to laugh heartily at what they said.

Anne’s words didn’t please him at all. He didn’t want her to look at him because she might have found him attractive. She should not look at the shell but at the core, the things laying under his surface and not on top of it. Doubting himself and what Anne saw in him, he clenched his fists at his sides, his shoulders sagging limply. Actually, being called attractive by her should have been a boost to his self-confidence, but he didn't want to be eye candy or a friend to her. He longed for more than that. Sighing with his eyes transfixed on her and Dellie, he hoped she saw the same in him he saw in the pretty redhead, maybe not yet but perhaps someday. After all, it could be that she just had the same fear of revealing too much that he had.

The tone of his voice was unsteady, not really sounding like he was sure of himself the moment he addressed his next words to her. “And what if that's exactly what I feel when you look at me? Do you know if you set the rhythm of my heart and make my legs tremble? You say that you think a look can do something to someone and who knows, maybe yours affects me. You have beautiful eyes, blue like all the oceans I crossed. Do you think it's impossible for me to drown in them?” Maybe he wanted to tease her, but maybe he chose those words to get some clue out of her that those words were doing something to her, and indeed they did. 

Out of the blue, Anne stilled on her way, her posture stiff almost paralyzed. She tensed her shoulders, standing straight rooted to the spot. Dellie looked up at her in confusion, not knowing what was going on with Anne. Hearing those words in which she thought she heard so much seriousness messed with all of her body mechanics, the pace of her heart becoming so fast that she thought he could hear the beating of it. Her breathing came unevenly in shallow breaths. How should she deal with this sentence, knowing that she wished it were true? What should she do, now that she slowly realized how she felt about the young man who obviously sensed that his stupid sentence was responsible for her current condition?

Walking to her, Gilbert wanted to do something about her misery, granted that he seemed to be the one to blame for everything, even if he didn't know what was so wrong with his words. It had to be a preposterous notion for her that he could have feelings for her, even if his words were a silly line spoken in jest. Why else would she have reacted that way? Sometimes fun and seriousness are very close, though, a blurred line that doesn't quite make it clear where the fun starts and drifts into something more earnest. He perceived a weighty feeling as he tried to ignore the pain making its way to his heart, believing he would never be able to crack Anne's hard shell to get to the epicenter of her existence, her heart that he continued to hope he could one day conquer, not knowing it was almost his.

He didn't know exactly what to do, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He nudged her shoulder with his. It was a gentle nudge, behaving in a way someone would treat a friend. Sure, he would have loved to pull her into her arms, but he got the impression that Anne wouldn't be too fond of the idea that's why he played pretend, behaving in a way she probably expected from him, as a friend, although he rather wished to be her lover, which he thought did not correspond to what Anne wanted. What else could he have assumed, given her reaction?

"Looks like the thought of me possibly having feelings for you is a terrible one for you. Come on, Anne-girl. Surely you know it was a joke, right?” He wanted to know, trying to bring humor to his voice, but failing miserably with his attempts. Bending his head a bit forward to look at her from the side, he saw the tense expression on her face, which didn't look like it was going to soften anytime soon.

Anne sucked in some of the stuffy air that held all the pent-up tension, which she then released with a heavy exhalation back into the hallway where she stood with Gilbert and Delphine, whose tiny hand she held in hers. Both looked wide-eyed at her from the side, he from one and the five-year-old girl from the other. 

After a moment, she needed to collect herself and consider how best to answer him. She began to move again, releasing some of the tension she noticed in each of her muscles and bones."Ha-ha. Wow, you’re a funny one, Mr. Blythe." It sounded sarcastic as she intonated it, accompanied by a laugh that sounded hollow and emotionless. "You're a clown for sure, Gil. Do you really think I believed for a second that you were serious? I know well enough that men like you would never fall in love with someone like me. Believe me, I know that all too well." Her last sentence came in a whisper that made it hard for Gilbert to fathom what she was saying. 

"God, Anne, that wasn't what I meant. Of course, you're a desirable woman. To be honest, I don't even know what you meant by what you said. Men like me...?"

  
  


"Good men, Gil. Someone like you, but those kinds of men don't fall in love with me. Only the ones who want a piece of my success ever do, and even that's never real, it never was."

Her heart truly felt like made of paper, lying in his hands with which he crushed it, crumpling it before throwing it to the floor or in a trash bin. The feeling she perceived was fitting, for it was not just once in her life that someone had called her trash, no wonder her heart obviously found a place in the bin. She was glad it was made of paper and not glass. After all, paper can be unfolded again, and even if it might be crumpled afterward, it still seemed better than being smashed into a thousand pieces. What she felt right now she had to feel because he gave her hope where she saw none. Of course, a man as attractive, smart, and kind-hearted as he has no feelings for her. For a moment she thought it might be true, what he was doing was so contradictory to what he was saying and it made it so hard for her to know where the truth lay. Every time he looked at her something sparkled in pools of hazel that could have been hearts, romance... but after all his statements she was no longer one hundred percent sure that he looked at her as if she was his world, the stars in his sky, the one thing that gave his life meaning. She had only one certainty; it messed with her head and even more so with her heart.

_But I am in love with you._

Of course, Gilbert didn't say it out loud, wondering what kind of men Anne had dated in the past and what they did to put such an idea in her head and made her feel like no one could ever fall for her. Her heart seemed to have been broken many times and within him stirred the urge to reach into her rib cage. All he desired was to wrap his fingertips gently around her heart in order to do his utmost to repair it, even at the risk of cutting himself on the broken pieces.

“They do…,” he said straight away, walking behind Anne and Delphine. The girl was silent in the last minutes, too enchanted by the fairy queen to whom she kept looking admiringly. 

He had to clear his throat, his voice raspy as he continued with what he had to tell her. “I am sure that there are many good men who fall in love with such a wonderful person like you. I think you just need to keep your eyes open to find that person. A man who doesn't see your worth and by that I don't mean your talent, but what makes you the beautiful person you are doesn't deserve you anyway. But they exist, Anne-girl. Men who are just waiting to meet someone like you.” 

_But I don't want another person to find me. I want you to be my person._

It was a thought that came from Anne's subconscious and reached her consciousness. Although they had just become friends, it became more and more clear to her that it was a farce and she was the one who had probably ruined the chance of ever becoming more than a friend to him with her offer of friendship. At some point the moment came where she had enough of the entire conversation, releasing a sigh into the air that seemed to thicken more and more.

"Whatever, let's just agree that you and I don't give each other heart eyes, and forget the whole thing. My non-existent love life is something I don't want to discuss right now, especially not in the presence of a child."

Not daring to look at him and with Dellie at her side, Anne then rounded the corner which led to the salesrooms of the brick building, the bookstore where her reading should take place in a few weeks. Gilbert followed the two, whose hazel eyes, almost burning into her backside, she could feel as usual on herself.

"Fine, no heart eyes!" Gilbert called after them, trotting in slow steps behind his two favorites, burying his hands in his pockets to prevent them from reaching out to her and showing her that there was a kind-hearted man in this world who had lost his heart to her, knowing that as long as he would look at Anne, his eyes would always hold hearts and sparks of love.

"No heart eyes!" Anne said in agreement, her words only a whisper. She too knew that her eyes held more than she could admit whenever she looked at him.

A heavy silence fell over them whilst Dellie's braided pigtails swung left and right in the book-scented air of the interiors of Global and Bookish, dragging Anne with her as she led the one who she thought to be a fairy queen to her favorite spot in the entire store. Anne clasped her small hand with a tenderness that gave security to the little girl who was looking over her shoulder at Gilbert, who once again had eyes for only one person, trailing behind with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black jeans.

  
  


“You’re both liars!" Delphine caused her uncle to tear his attention away from Anne and shift it to her, noting the twitch of the corners of his mouth as they curved upward. "Uncle Gilby, you give Queen Anne heart eyes. They’re almost the same as she gives you. You look at her the same way daddy always looks at mommy." As busy as she was in the last few minutes gazing at Anne with wonder in her eyes, her chocolate brown eagle eyes could still observe everything exchanged between Anne and Gilbert.

The smile that graced his handsome visage faltered and faded entirely the moment after she had released her words into the corridor they were passing through, packed with masses of books piled in stacks, positioned on the gray carpet, in front of the tall bookshelves loaded with stories of kingdoms and fairy tales, romances and dramas, thrilling mysteries and horrific nightmares. 

Delphine was much like her father, except that Bash, unlike her, would deliberately say such things to maneuver Gilbert into the depths of despair from which he assumed he would not soon emerge, not if Dellie continued to expose him. She was telling the truth. No one knew that better than he, and it frightened him, for he had no idea whether Anne would discover the truth that was in Dellie's words as well. Besides, they had decided to end the topic. It was maddening.

Dellie's statement didn't leave Anne unaffected either. Considering that she by now knew how Sebastian looked at his wife, seeing all the photos she had marveled at just a few minutes ago that littered the walls of the apartment above them once again in her mind's eye, it was an absurdity for her to hear what just came out of the mouth of the five-year-old. Yes, he was looking at her as no one had ever done before, and she was aware of that, what she couldn't fathom, however, was where those looks came from, why he was looking at her in a way that gave her the feeling of being in the cocoon of an invisible shell through which he could see right through towards the places that lay isolated behind the walls she was building as a guard. They were high, all the bricks that towered in front of her heart and soul, but every time he looked at Anne, he climbed them a tad higher. He had the strength to do that, a huge amount of mental stamina to dive deeper into her being with each new step he took, regardless of whether he used his eyes, the power of his language, articulate or non-verbal, the small gestures and touches that always run deeper than into the pores of her epidermis. But why, especially his eyes spoke of admiration, as if he had found a treasure of gold and jewels, the most precious thing his eyes had ever gazed upon, she had no answers for. Now, thanks to Dellie, she wondered if there was truth in the girl's words after all?

A whole new sense of curiosity stirred in her, and so she looked down at Delphine, feeling Gilbert's heavy gaze, eyes that felt more like fiery eyes than heart eyes, keeping warm the body that she thought would never feel cold as long as she had him near her. With Gilbert by her side, she was always warm even if lately she felt more and more heat thanks to him, evoking longings in her that never cried out so loudly for someone as for him.

"Um…" A raspy sound escaped her as she cleared her throat. She smiled at Dellie, trying to keep her composure the moment the words left her lips, albeit it wasn’t easy. "You know that your daddy and your mommy love each other, right? In which way does your dad always look at your mom, cutie pie?" Anne aimed to follow her curiosity, not expecting answers that could help her in terms of what Gilbert saw in her, but it was worth a try, to lure him out of his wariness and get concrete answers from himself, rather than a child. Perhaps his utterances before were all spoken out of fear. Possibly the answer to everything was actually in his eyes. She saw Delphine angling her head back, looking up at her when she gave Anne a grin that lit up the childish features of her face, a sparkle twinkling in her chocolate brown eyes, admiration for Anne dancing in them.

  
  


Dellie's giggle was a harmony sung by a little angel, melodious and sweet, enveloping the bookstore premises the three roamed. "With love." Her answer was brief, but it affected Gilbert and Anne equally. While Gilbert wished the ground beneath his feet would open up and swallow him whole, Anne lost her voice, her brain turning to mush. A clear thought was untraceable, and all the words that the vocabulary of her cerebrum contained could no longer be formed by her into an intelligible sentence.

Global and Bookish was already well frequented by customers, straying through the corridors that had oodles of stories and information to offer. Some stood on the gray carpet in the aisles, flipping through the pages of works they eyed in curiosity to see if they could pique their interest, others traced the spines of books on the green lacquered bookshelves that reached up to the ceiling with the tip of their fingers, looking for adventures and perhaps Christmas gifts for friends and family members, partners, or colleagues. After all, Christmas was just around the corner. Less than three weeks to go and the people would celebrate the most wonderful holiday of the year which means a lot of work for the cute bookstore. So it came as no surprise that many book lovers surrounded Global and Bookish that morning. Despite the rather uncomfortable weather with gray misty clouds covering the heaven above and the masses of newly arrived powder snow that prevented many from reaching the store on Montgomery Avenue in time of the opening, quite many people ended up coming to Global and Bookish that morning, its rooms illuminated by the glowing tubes on the ceilings, flickering in a fluorescent dazzle overhead all the bookworms who spent their time in the sacred rooms of the small shop. The ones walking through the store could see Christmas lights in every corner, twinkling in golden rays that hued the rooms in a warm shimmer, offering an ambient light that could not only spread Christmas spirit but also provided the perfect conditions to start the search for new acquisitions.

"So does that mean your uncle looks at me with love, cutie pie?" Anne teased Gilbert in good humor, even when she didn't feel like laughing, feeling heaviness that lay like stones in her stomach. He deserved it for all he had done to her before, and a part of her wished the girl said the truth. Seeing behind her where Gilbert was trotting slowly beyond her and Delphine, she offered him a smile that couldn't quite produce the glimmer in her eyes that otherwise swam in them. It didn't quite reach her irises, too many questions circling in her head, suffocating the flames that usually burn there.

Delphine had Wisteria, her teddy tightly pressed to her heart, clamped under her left arm while she kept swinging her right one in the air together with Anne's left one, absorbing the odor of newly printed works, freshly printed papers, and the smell of the glues used to bind the books that smelled foremost like adventures that waited in the shelves to maneuver Toronto's book lovers into new quests.

  
  


"Please, Queen Anne, we are friends now so do me the favor and call me honey bee. All my friends do except Johnny Walters, he's not my friend, just a dumb boy." At the thought of Johnny Walters, Delphine couldn't help but roll her eyes. The situation in kindergarten had not changed, Johnny liked Dellie and tried to show it to her in his boyish and silly way, which the girl to whom he lost his heart didn’t appreciate. As it seemed, she recognized heart eyes only when they landed on anyone except her.

"Daddy calls me little angel, and he's the only one who gets to do that, so please keep that in mind."

Anne smiled, squeezing Delphine's hand as a sign of understanding. "Noted, honey bee. But you were about to tell me how your daddy looks at your mommy."

It was then when Anne heard a deep sigh behind her. Gilbert was not at all amused by her persistence. Why was she so interested in knowing how he looked at her? Was it possible that she perchance wished a person would look at her that way, and if so, did she want that person to be him? Many questions clouded the inside of his mind, but most of all he was afraid that his genuine feelings would reach the light of day as the conservation continued.

"Someone's noisy, huh?" His voice came out strained and nervous, sounding a little higher than usual. All he wanted was to bring the conversation, which got on his nerves to an end. "Don't listen to what Dellie says, she's just a five-year-old girl who has a big imagination."

The words of her uncle did not please Delphine at all. She spun around, facing him with a furious expression. She narrowed her eyes whilst the corners of her mouth hung down, dropping upwards.

"I'm not!" Stamping her feet on the floor, she objected, attracting the attention of some customers with her behavior, who had an amused smile to offer the girl.

Gilbert and Anne both had to stifle their laughter. He covered his mouth with his left hand while Anne bit her lip, walking a few steps in front of him with Dellie by her side to the place the girl wanted to show her. Delphine must have inherited it from Mary, the liveliness and the fact that she didn't take any shit from others, a trait that had gotten her into trouble many times in the past, but having a strong will in a world that can be quite cruel was not the worst trait someone could have. Still, Gilbert couldn't help teasing his little niece, secretly wishing to put an end to it all or at least steer the conversation to a new topic.

"What if I told you that Anne isn't a fairy queen? How would you feel about that?" 

"You're lying!" Delphine's chocolate brown eyes widened, squeezing Anne's hand with hers. She didn't even realize they had reached her favorite spot of the entire shop, though she had led the way there. But that Gilbert was about to rob her of the illusion of holding the hand of a fairy queen made her forget everything. Instead of being happy about being in the enchanted forest, the reading corner for children, she was sad. Her lips trembled as she looked to Anne, almost about to burst into tears because Gilbert was so mean to her. 

"Queen Anne, please tell me that Uncle Gilby is lying." 

No adults or children lingered in the children's corner, where it was quiet, as Gilbert could already guess. When children visited the bookstore, it was usually on Saturdays or vacations, on days when they have time to forget about homework, exams, and essays in order to enter the magical world of literature. Only the muffled sounds of book pages being turned over, lying in the hands of some customers, sounded from the distance into the area separated from the primary rooms of the bookstore.

Anne gave Gilbert a pointed look, her eternal summer smile that usually lit up every room replaced by a straight line. Hasn't he already done enough this morning? How dare Gilbert try to influence Delphine's imagination in the worst way possible? Gently pulling Dellie along with her, she walked over to one stools that looked like toadstools, arranged in two opposite lines on the green-colored texture of the rug that overlaid the grounds of the kids’ corner, placing her hands on the girl's shoulder to help her sit down. With her index finger, she lifted Delphine's head, which bowed down toward the floor. Anne wanted to make up for what Gilbert had done, with determination in her voice directing her words to the sad girl whose eyes had lost their radiance and instead were about to fill with tears.

"You are allowed to believe in anything you want," Anne said, caressing Dellie's chin placed in the hollow between her thumb and forefinger in soothing motions. "Our imagination is one of the most important things we humans have. It can take you from here to all sorts of places, and all you have to do is close your eyes and let your imagination run wild. If you believe in it, then I am a fairy queen, no matter what your uncle may tell you."

"You're the best, Queen Anne. I can't wait to tell my friends from kindergarten that I have met a fairy queen. They will be so jealous." Dellie gave Anne a sweet kiss on her left cheek and thanked her with a smile, the lifting of the corners of her mouth tangible to her, given that the child's slender chin was in her hand. 

"Oh, honey bee. You're the cutest little girl I've ever met."

The redhead then looked at Gilbert one more time, seeing him leaning casually with his back against one of the bookshelves painted in a moss-green hue. The hard spines of the picture books and children's literature waiting on the shelves to awaken the imagination of the youngest bookworms pressed against his spine as he shifted his gaze in mock annoyance to one of the walls, looking at the picture he had spent hours painting on the wall with Bash, a tree with a dark brown trunk rooted in a green meadow. The branches bore red apples, a memory of his childhood in Avonlea that he brought with him to Toronto and held on to in this way. With Anne, he had another part of Avonlea there with him, even if they never had the chance to meet in the small town, which is only a part of the whole that connects them. In the first place, what tied them together was still that deep connection they felt to each other, something that aligned their hearts, like meteors waiting in orbit to collide with each other to create a supernova that would merge, creating cosmic light that illuminated skies that had long known only darkness.

Secretly he found it amiable how Anne tried to cheer Dellie up and comfort her and even if he wouldn't admit it he felt bad to have used Dellie to avoid the risk of revealing his true feelings to Anne, knowing that around her his brain forgets which mechanism it has to go through in order to function. Still, he couldn't resist a humorous side cut at Anne, and so he left his place where he was standing and made his way to Anne, who in the meantime had sat down on one of the children's stools, distracting Dellie with a picture book she picked up from one shelf.

  
  


"Traitor!" His tall frame towered over her, the corner of his mouth turned up, giving her a smug grin. His breath met her nose as the word left his lips in a tone more humorous than serious, tickling her complexion. 

  
  


The grin of the co-owner of Global and Bookish didn't grace his lips for long. For the reason Anne had something else in mind. She got up from the stool, forcing Gilbert to take a few steps backward. His lips were ajar as Anne closed the gap that separated him from her and stepped into his space, silencing him by placing her index finger on his lips, which she felt against her skin for the very first time for an extended period of time. So far they had made only brief contact with her skin. Chaste kisses on her hand or her cheeks growing warm and turning red whenever he dropped a kiss on her wasn't enough for her to absorb the feel of his lips entirely. But now her finger lingered right in the middle of them, bringing out a surprised reaction from Gilbert, whose eyes shot wide open, his eyebrows lifting skyward. He had to swallow hard, the movement of his Adam's apple visible to Anne, who didn't quite know why Gilbert's demeanor changed from confident one minute to nervous the next.

"Shh, Gil!" It was a soft breathy sound that escaped her soft cushions that he longed for, wondering if he'd ever get the pleasure of connecting those lips with his. "Don't make this any worse than it already is. Now be a good guy and let Delphine finally tell her story. Haven't you ever heard that kids and drunks in particular always tell the truth?" 

Her forefinger brushed over his dry lower lip, which felt prim under her fingertip. He wished she would replace her finger with his lips. The rosy buds of her mouth pulled up into a smile the second she detached her pointer finger from his mouth after he gave her a nod in response. 

But well, if Dellie was telling the truth, it had to mean that Anne looked at him the same way he looked at her. Speechless rooted to the spot, hazel eyes followed red tendrils that swung right and left in the air as Anne sat back down on the stool from which she had risen only to turn Gilbert into a nervous wreck, even if it wasn't her intention, but it was exactly what she did. It was a bold move on her part, though Gilbert didn't know where it came from, whether it was a decision made on the spur of the moment or whether she did it on purpose, and why in God's name couldn't she drop the issue, bury it and never bring it up again? Why was it so important to her that Dellie tell her how Sebastian looked at his wife Mary, and thus Gilbert looked at her?

Anne eyed him from the side for an unguarded moment, seeing the way his hand rested on the back of his neck, his gaze surprisingly not on her, but his brown leather boots. His posture seemed stiff, almost as if he were in a state of rigidity. Anne however shook the thought that what she had done was the reason for his condition from her, shifting her body and attention towards Dellie who was flipping through a picture book which she closed when she heard Anne's voice.

"Please go ahead with your story, honey bee. In which way does your dad look at your mom?" On the one hand, she didn't care what she would get in response but a part of her desperately wanted to know, and seeing the impact it had on Gilbert was the cherry on top as he sighed loudly in annoyance accompanied by an eye roll that made it hard for Anne to hold back her laughter that was on its way out, muffled by the palm she released it into.

Hearing her new friend the Fairy Queen call her by her nickname brought a sweet smile to Delphine's face. She laid the picture book on the green carpet that lay on the floor in the children's corner, not seeing Gilbert take off his glasses and fiddle with them. He was so nervous that he had to do something while waiting to see what Delphine would say.

"Ah, right!" She bent her head to the side, watching Anne. 

The redhead returned Delphine's smile, sensing Gilbert's gaze that she felt drilling through the layers of her clothing, not for the first time that day, trying to ignore it albeit it was so much harder than she thought, noticing all too well the rise of her body temperature under his gaze. 

Dellie then continued after pausing for a moment, presumably searching for words. "I don't know...Daddy looks at Mommy like I look at a stack of Mommy's yummy pancakes. Like she's the best thing in the whole wide world. And Uncle Gilby looks at you the same way."

This statement came as a surprise to Anne. And, of course, he looked at her differently. Not one person ever looked at her like he did. His eyes lingered on her each time, piercing right through her in a way that was searching, but what he was looking for she had no clue, not knowing he had already found it, the one thing his soul and heart were not searching for, but found as the blustery winds of November sent a green umbrella with white dots through the streets of Toronto. The day he met her, he didn’t follow the whisper of the wind to find her rain shade. He ran towards where his heart guided him, the pathway of Avenue Road where he found her.

Curious, Anne's right eyebrow rose, her head angled toward her right shoulder, red waves falling over it. "Does he?" Her large blue eyes widened and fell instantly to Gilbert.

Glassy beads of sweat formed on his forehead, his right hand first running through the thick structure of his dark curls until it came to a stop at the nape of his neck, scratching it in uneasiness, unable to get out of his skin while expressing his nervousness with it as usual. It was simply a reaction that was like breathing for him, a part of his subconscious that could not make him aware of what he was doing. With hopefulness, he said a silent prayer to the supreme powers, pleading that Dellie would say nothing wrong.

"Yup!" Dellie popped the 'p', picking up the picture book she was looking at from the floor again. She placed it on her lap and opened it, as well as the mouth out of which Gilbert thought enough had already come out that morning, bracing for his end as his niece's words left her mouth. 

"His eyes get all big when he looks at you. He looks like a lost puppy then, but of course, he's not as cute as one. No one is as cute as a little puppy and certainly not my uncle," she said before she turned to her left on her stool, looking at Gilbert, whose hands found a place in his pants pockets, wearing his black-rimmed glasses back on his nose as he focused his attentiveness to the floor. 

Rooted on the spot, he balanced his body weight from side to side, unable to remain still, feeling Anne's questioning gaze on him, only worsening his sweats. "Isn’t it hot in here? I think I really need to talk to Bash and tell him he doesn't always turn the heat to the highest setting." 

Using the collar of his shirt to fan himself some air, which would hopefully bring the beads of sweat running down his rosy-hued cheeks to a halt, he risked trying to blame what Anne, and the situation did to him on other circumstances, in this case, the alleged heat that no one felt as much as he did. Well, Anne felt a hot prickle on her skin, too, but it wasn't temperature-related. He could tell she knew it was just a poor excuse on his part, so he had no choice but to change his tactics.

Anne wanted answers he couldn't find so easily. He couldn't just reveal to her that his gazes held nothing but love, everything he couldn't tell her, not because he didn't want to, but because the time was far from right. If he had his way, he would climb the CN Tower and shout it over the rooftops of Toronto. Screaming it from the tops of his lungs, he would tell the world that he loved, for the very first time, and that the person he loved without knowing it was Anne, the one who put the tingle in his stomach that started it all, waking butterflies that must have been in hibernation for as long as he could remember, but who knows, maybe they could just be woken up by her.

He saw no other way but to try humor. Not giving her an answer and ignoring the way she looked for explanations and answers without saying anything would be too conspicuous. The risk of revealing his feelings, which he himself still needed time to fathom, would be too huge if he offered her nothing. So he grinned, flashing his white teeth, not all perfectly formed but not deformed in any way either to Anne, who found his imperfect teeth and the curving of his mouth perfect, boyish and cute, but she would never confess that to him, she was too afraid and perhaps a little too cowardly for that.

"What do you expect?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Pancakes are like you...Sweet as sugar and syrup! So it's no wonder I look at you that way." 

Now was that a compliment? Anne wasn't quite sure, albeit it had enough strength to fan the fire inside her, bringing heat to her cheeks that wore a deep red. It puzzled her because he didn't deny looking at her in a way that a stargazer who saw more than just the luminescence in her would. She wondered to herself if it was the stars that fascinated him, the myriad orange freckles that dotted her milky complexion, or if he was looking for the black holes in her cosmos, all those empty places from which the shadows of her past sucked the color and life. Was he perhaps just always lost in the blue of her eyes, wearing the color of a sky he admired like a work of art? Sometimes he was an open book to her, but right now a thousand question marks.

"Right, that explains it, of course. Do you look at everyone that way, Mr. Blythe?" She wanted to know, her head cocked to the side, witnessing Gilbert approach her, throwing himself onto the shaggy carpet just in front of the stool Anne was sitting on.

To Gilbert, it didn't look like Ruby who was on the morning shift needed his help in the store at the moment, and so he sat cross-legged right in front of Anne’s feet, preferring to put the world in front of her if only she would let him. Delphine had long since lost interest in what was going on between Anne and Gilbert, too engrossed in the book she was looking at. 

  
  


"No!..." He trailed off, giving Anne a look that was so heavy and full of something she couldn't find words for. "I don't think so!" 

His eyes held the glimmer that only ever appeared when they were on her, honey-gold flecks that danced around his irises like little stars around the moon, mingling with the green of his eyes, the color of hope, which was all he needed, holding on to it because there was nothing else he could do. All he had and clung to was the hope of being seen by her in a light, one brighter than that of others, and perhaps containing enough strength to light the way out of friendship and into something more meaningful. For it was bigger than that, so much more monumental than any other feeling his heart has ever weighed. So far, all he felt on this scale was pain, but that was not what she made him feel. That which broke when his father died got its beat back when she stormed into his life, it learned to love and it began to ache for her. Everything his heart carried, every feeling that led to love, was only for her.

When they looked at each other, four eyes bore hearts, no matter how much they tried to deny it.

A thick tension settled over both of them as they stared at each other, heaviness lingering in hazel's eyes while Anne swallowed, not quite able to discern the meaning behind his words, resisting reading too much into them, not wanting to get her hopes up that he might see more in her than a friend after all. She had the knowledge that his eyes saw something more in her. The question she now faced was whether his heart did the same. 

Deeply absorbed in each other's eyes, neither got to hear a person approach them, a high-pitched voice ringing through the children's corner of the bookstore, making Anne avert her gaze from Gilbert.

"Gilbert Blythe! So my eyes and ears didn't deceive me."

* * *

The voice, coming along with an annoyed tone, caught not only Anne's attention but Delphine's as well. The girl looked over the edge of the book, lying firmly in the grip of her hands. Instantly the corners of her mouth curved, forming a sweet smile, her round cheeks lifting. In a flash, she got up from the stool she was sitting on, throwing the book that had been so interesting a few seconds before onto the floor as she ran to a young woman Anne assumed must be about the same age as her, golden curls falling over narrow shoulders, shimmering like silky honey in the twinkling light of the fairy lights that decorated the bookshelves in the children's corner, looped around the framework of the shelves, able to create an amber light that cast a halo over the head full of golden tendrils. Anne thought she saw an angel, one who instead of a white robe, wore light blue jeans and a pink, scalloped blouse with little burgundy flowers sewn on it.

"Ruby!" Dellie circled her small hands around the middle of Ruby, who placed one hand on the back of Dellie's head, stroking her scalp. Resting her other hand on her hip, she looked to Gilbert, who finally tore his gaze away from Anne. 

Rolling his eyes, he stood up from the carpeted floor, approaching Ruby in whose eyes there was a storm coming his way, anticipating her anger that left her lips at that moment.

"I've been minding the store by myself all the damn time. The snowstorm has stopped and more and more customers are coming by. If you could do me a fu-fu-..." Remembering that there was a small child present, she quickly changed her choice of words, knowing what she would hear from Mary if she learned she had used a swear word in front of Delphine, and so she began again."... favor and help me out, that would be great. Just remember, this is your store. I can leave anytime I want, mister."

  
  


"Is that a threat?" Gilbert wanted to know, ignoring the pointed look Ruby sent his way, the thumb of his right hand buried in his pants pocket while his other fingers tapped against the black denim of it "Come on Ruby, like you're just going to leave me here alone. You know how hectic it is before Christmas."

In past years, the weeks leading up to Christmas were always the busiest for the small bookstore which of course meant a lot of stress for everyone who worked there. Even in a world full of digital media like ebooks and audiobooks, tangible books are still high on people's list as Christmas gifts, which is why Global and Bookish could basically use all the help they could get, but that didn't seem to have occurred to Gilbert, Ruby thought, who saw his gaze keep wandering to the mysterious young woman with the flaming red hair.

"Don't worry. I know that, but do you know that, Gilbert? Because if I recall correctly, you weren't the one who opened the store in the last hour. I didn't even have time to put the fresh supplies on the shelves. You know I can always ask Bash to take my shift. " 

Gilbert saw not only Ruby's left eyebrow lift but also the corner of her left mouth. A devilish smile appeared on her face and Gilbert hated it. Ruby was always more like a sister to Gilbert, the thing about siblings though, they can be annoying as hell.

Gilbert snorted, pushing his exhale into the air through his nose. "Don't threaten me with Bash. I'm glad for every minute I don't have to put up with his constant teasing." His right hand went to the back of his head, giving Ruby an apologetic look, his lips formed into a straight line. "Look, I'm sorry, but something came up that I had to take care of. Besides, is this your way of saying hello to me, Rubs?"

  
  


While Gilbert and Ruby argued, Anne eyed the blonde young woman more closely, her ocean blue eyes flickering over the blonde, eyeing her intently, having a thought in her head that made her think.

Great, he even has a nickname for her. Maybe it's a friendship thing that he gives nicknames to all his friends.

Discomfort made itself felt in Anne, imagining that she wasn't anyone special to Gilbert after all and that he only gave her the nickname Anne-girl because she made the stupid mistake of asking for his friendship. Everything told her he was more, every reaction of her body, all the goosebumps that covered her skin when a word or a brush of his fingertips touched her, the heat that raised the temperature inside her and made her outside burn a blazing red, the shiver that ran down her spine as soon as she felt his eyes on her but most of all the loud beating of her heart that tried to convey to her for so long what was ignored by her. Just everything spoke of feelings deeper, bigger, more meaningful, and now she had to see him talking to a young woman who was everything Anne always wanted to be, Anne thought Ruby was as beautiful as her name. Not only did her long blonde hair make her seem like an angel, but so did her soft features, speckled with tiny freckles that Anne found beautiful in contrast to her own. From a distance, she couldn't quite make out what color her eyes had, but it was a deep, dark color, perhaps a dark blue or green, she wasn't quite sure. She looked like an angel on earth, a heavenly creature that Anne thought was so much more beautiful and graceful than she was. Compared to Ruby, Anne felt like a devil, with her red hair the complete opposite of the angelic person she was staring at. Knowing how silly and wrong these thoughts were, she still couldn't help but let them reach her mind, and seeing how picture-perfect the view of Gilbert and Ruby together was, contracted her heart. For a moment she had to put her hand on her left chest, through which a sharp ache drove. It felt painful, like someone was holding it in their hands and crushing it. 

She shook her head, her long red strands twirling in the air, tickling her face in the act. However, she couldn't get rid of this strange feeling that was so alien to her, it affected her emotional state too much for that, even if she didn't know where it came from, not finding a description for it, considering that this feeling that boiled inside her was one she had never felt before. Drawing a sharp intake of breath, she had to continue hearing Ruby's voice, seeing how the blonde glanced at Gilbert angrily.

Ruby jabbed her finger into the flesh of Gilbert's chest, not particularly pleased with the answer he had given her. "That something must have been urgent if you're sacrificing the time you're supposed to be working for it. You're impossible, Gilbert Blythe." Fretting, she directed her words at Gilbert, her eyes narrowed, frowning. She tilted her head a little to one side, angrily grinding her teeth, her annoyance at Gilbert written all over her face.

Meanwhile, Gilbert looked at Anne, missing the smile on her lips, and the gleam in her eyes that seemed empty, as if she had seen a ghost, something that frightened her, and he wondered what stole her light, and turned her eternal summer smile into a current winter line that lacked the warmth it held in the moments when it bent to the curve that painted his world in the sunniest colors.

"She...I...I..." His words left his lips stammering, looking from Anne back to Ruby. " I... I mean it was in fact important and urgent," he told her, secretly scolding himself for allowing the wave of self-consciousness to wash over him again.

The blonde tried hard to hold back her amusement at Gilbert's flustered state. But instead of bursting out laughing, Ruby surprised him with a hug, whispering something in his ear that Anne couldn’t hear from the distance. "I forgive you for leaving me alone with the work and the customers, but only on one condition." 

  
  


"And what is that?" Gilbert wanted to know, having one of the bookshelves in his field of vision while hugging Ruby, who he thought had a much better view, with her face turned towards where Anne was sitting.

Looking over his shoulder, Ruby pointed her index finger at Anne, who could do nothing but stare even though she knew it was rude. It wasn’t her intention to behave the way she did, but she couldn’t stop with it either. Anne eyed Ruby with an intense stare, biting her upper lip. The blood was boiling in her veins and she didn't know why. She just did not know why her body was reacting this way. But she was sure of one thing. It hurt to see him in arms that weren't her own.

"I need you to introduce me to the young woman who is looking at me right now like I'm either a Martian or like she's about to try to kill me." Ruby giggled, breaking free of the embrace. A small hand tugged at the sleeve of her blouse, seeking her attention, and so she gave Dellie what she asked for and bent her head down, shifting her back forward a bit to be at eye level with Dellie.

Delphine put her hands to the sides of her mouth, in a whisper addressing Ruby, while she saw her uncle doing what he loves to do most, looking at Anne who was fiddling with his belt tied around her waist. "That's Queen Anne. Isn't she pretty? She's my new best friend and a fairy queen. Uncle Gilby loves to give her heart eyes."

"Heart eyes?" asked Ruby in a whisper as well, but then saw the way he was looking at Anne. A knowing smile appeared on her lips. "Ah, heart eyes. I understand. And she is indeed pretty. No wonder your uncle gives her 'the' eyes." The word 'the' was emphasized by her using the index and middle fingers of her hands, which she stretched in the air in a quotation mark gesture. Delphine nodded and flashed Ruby her toothy grin.

Trying to block out everything that was happening around her, Anne didn't even notice that the blonde young woman, for whom she admitted she felt envious, was approaching her with slow steps.

"So you're the famous Anne?”

Immediately ocean blue eyes shot open. Still sitting on the children's stool that looked like a toadstool, Anne raised her head, rapidly blinking her eyes. "Does that mean you know I'm ASC?" Her question came quietly, after all, she couldn't take the risk of anyone else finding out that a world-famous author was in the little bookstore. However, she didn't expect the answer she then received.

"You what?" Ruby blurted, her eyebrows arched skyward. Wrinkles formed on her forehead, surprise visible in what Anne could see were blue eyes, the pupils dilating.

Gilbert, on the other hand, was not surprised or confused as the two women seemed to be; he was concerned that one of the customers might have heard something. He peered around the corner to see if any customers were strolling through the bookstore near them and then walked over to Ruby, putting his hand over her mouth as he made sure a second time that no one else could hear them. He hushed the blonde social work student. 

"Shh, Rubs. Our customers can't and don't need to know that ASC is at Global and Bookish. Do you understand me? Do us all a favor and only address her by her first name."

"Okay, okay." Ruby raised her hands up in mock surrender, murmuring her words into his palm, which he then took away from her mouth. "Just for your information... If you had kept your hand on my mouth for even a second longer I would have licked it to get you to take it off me." Ruby grinned, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her blouse.

In disgust, Gilbert squinted his eyes, his nose wrinkled. "Ew! That's disgusting." He voiced his thoughts.

"I'm small and petite, but I know how to fight back, Gilbert. " Having her arms crossed in front of her chest, she lifted her chin in the air, opening Anne's eyes with her demeanor.

Everything that was going on between Gilbert and Ruby, the way they treated each other, seemed familiar to Anne. His gaze did not come to a stop at Ruby and remained there. His hazel eyes kept wandering around the room until he found Anne where they lingered each time, admiring her with a sparkle in them that disappeared as soon as he looked at Ruby. His words directed to Ruby held nothing that goes deeper than what describes a friendship, and even if the two teased each other, it was as Anne assumed comparable to what she knew of Cole and Jerry. What Gilbert and Ruby had was a friendship as it should be, unselfconscious and easy. And it only further clarified to Anne that everything she and he had was a completely different thing. Maybe more time needed to pass for them to get to know each other better so she could get to the point where he was with Ruby. Or maybe she just wasn't supposed to reach that one, because it was supposed to go in a completely different direction from the start, toward something she didn't know. Just the thought of it scared her. Stepping into the unknown meant loss of control, a free fall into something she didn't know where it would lead her. She finally understood the difference, and it calmed not only her mind but her heart and her pulse. Ruby was a friend to Gilbert, but what exactly she was to him Anne had yet to figure out.

Anne shook her head, bringing herself out of her thoughts. She still had questions she wanted answers to and so she chimed in, looking first to Gilbert and then to Ruby, to whom she directed her words. "I understand nothing right now." She started and stood up from the children's stool, her index finger pointed at the blonde, gesturing wildly with it. "So you didn't know I was ASC? If you don't mind me asking... then why did you call me the famous Anne?"

It made little sense to Anne, because if Ruby didn't know she was ASC, why did it seem like the blonde knew who she was? She wondered what Gilbert might have told his friend about her. Instead of finding answers, she felt like more and more questions were clouding her mind. 

Ruby just shrugged, but couldn't suppress her smile. "I've just heard a lot about you. Let me put it this way. You seem to have made quite an impression on Gilbert. You may already know this, but I'm Ruby. Nice to meet you, Anne."

It was such a friendly smile Ruby gave her. Therefore, Anne had no choice but to give one back. "Likewise, Ruby. Please be sure to spell my name with an E. It's very important to me that people spell it with an E."

The two shook hands, watched by Gilbert, who suddenly had a strange feeling. When Dellie spoke of his heart eyes, that was one thing, but when Ruby told something that shouldn't leave her mouth, it was quite another. Ruby knew, after all, that Anne was the woman he met in November rain and although she didn't know he lost his heart to Anne, he felt she could look into his heart and see all it held for Anne. The look and that knowing smile he received from her, he translated as a, 'Gottcha, Gilbert!'

After giving Gilbert the meaningful look that made him gulp, she shifted her attention back to Anne. "Anne with an E, noted!" She then withdrew her hand, looking over her shoulder into the sales area of Global and Bookish where she saw several customers standing in front of the counter, waiting to pay for the books they had newly purchased. "But now it's time to get back to work and by that, I mean all the adults in this room." With her right hand braced on her hip, she gave Gilbert a look that told him clearly that she meant him.

"Anne, you can come with me and you Gilbert..." She paused for a moment, but then her angelic features turned into those of a little devil. "... You can take care of the cash register and the customers. I assure you that your Anne is in excellent hands with me."

Ruby's giggle echoed through the children's reading corner, where Delphine sat cross-legged on the floor, a new book in her lap that she had grabbed from one of the shelves and was now engrossed in, long oblivious to what the adults were talking about.

"I'm not-"

"She's not-"

Anne and Gilbert's voices left their mouths at the same time. They glanced at each other and exactly what always befell them whenever their eyes met occurred. They dove into each other's gaze and got lost in a blazing fire and raging waves of hazel eyes and orbs holding an ocean. The suction was there again, which kept them gravitating towards each other, aligning magnets against whose power they couldn’t find a remedy. They just had to follow the pull, for the urge was too grand not to yield to the undeniable attraction. It was there from the start, the chemistry, the connection, and that damn heavy gravity embedded under their skins. Nestling in their hearts, it took control of everything and pulled them under, down into the unfathomable depths of the other. They forgot Ruby and Delphine, time was non-existent, and they were equally unaware of where they were. In the spell they were under, he saw only her, and all she could see was him. Drowning in each other's gaze had something addictive, like a drug for which there was no rehabilitation, intoxicating the souls in whose window they peeked. While Gilbert would have preferred never to tear his eyes away from Anne to gaze at stars and the vastness of the ocean, Anne could no longer withstand the intensity of it and so she averted her eyes from him, trying to find an answer as to why this always happened when her grey-blueish globes connected with his. He stood a little further away from her, not right next to her but even a glance across the room could ignite everything within her, firing a shiver across her entire physique, hot as glowing lava plunging into the pores of her flesh, bringing heat to her flushed skin. And though it felt paradisiacal, she couldn't allow herself to fall deeper into his warm hazel eyes, because though she felt safe under his gaze, she felt so incredibly vulnerable at the same time.

In the end, it was Ruby who burst the bubble that had built up around Anne and Gilbert, having seen enough to know that no matter what this was between the redheaded beauty she now knew to be ASC, the bestselling author to whom the world owed the Tragical Romance series, and Gilbert, it was more than they were willing to admit. 

"My, that's a fat denial" Her golden curls danced in the bookstore air filled with the smell of books, shaking her head in disbelief. The words escaped her lips in a whisper. How could it possibly be that the two of them didn't see what was happening between them? The question circled in her mind of how long it might take for them to understand the meaning of the looks they exchanged. She wondered if maybe they already knew what they were feeling but were keeping it a secret for fear of ruining something, whatever that might be. Ruby Gillis wasn't stupid, especially when it came to romance, and what she could observe in the last few minutes came pretty close. Seeing Anne's gaze roam the room unfocused, looking everywhere but at Gilbert, chewing on her upper lip, Ruby had the feeling that Anne wished she were somewhere else, a place where she wouldn't be so defenselessly exposed to his gaze. Delphine was absolutely right, at least Ruby realized, watching from the corner of her eye that he kept looking where Anne was standing, giving her the heart eyes the five-year-old had been talking about all along. But she saw the same hearts in ocean blue eyes whenever they fell on him.

Wanting to help Anne out of her predicament, Ruby took the few steps towards Anne that separated her from her, reaching for the author's right arm, weaving her left one through the bend of the redhead's elbow, surprising Anne with it, who at first bent her head back slightly, but then shedding her reserve towards the blonde who pressed her biceps gently, expressing that there was no reason for Anne to be afraid of her.

"Come, Anne, let me introduce you to the duties that a bookseller has." Ruby smiled, looking to Gilbert and then to Dellie, who had put her book aside and in whose eyes sparkled again admiration for Anne. "I guess a person who doesn't stare at you all the time is best suited for that. And since four eyes are staring at you in admiration, that means I'm the only one left for the job." Ruby couldn't help but tease Anne, not forgetting to keep the mood light, not wanting to risk making Anne uncomfortable. Her eyes crinkled at the corners while the corners of her mouth twitched and curved up, giving Anne a friendly smile. Ruby then pulled Anne along with her, not particularly interested in what Gilbert had to say about all this, wanting to get back to work as quickly as possible and preferably with Anne, hoping to get more out of her over time, especially in regards to Gilbert. Pulling the redhead with her, they were almost out of the children's corner when Gilbert's deep yet melodious voice echoed through the area.

"Anne-girl, are you okay to go with Ruby." He wanted to make sure Anne was comfortable, too. Comfort was paramount and if there was one thing he wanted, apart from her love, of course, it was for her to feel as much at home in the place that was a second home to him as if it were her home too.

Anne glanced over her shoulder, sending a smile in his direction that she hoped was reassuring. "Yes! Don't worry about me, I have a feeling we'll get along just fine. "

Gilbert released his breath into the room Anne was about to leave, wishing she would stay with him to spend more time together, but his wish was not to be granted and so he resigned. "Good!" That was all he could say, having to get used to the idea of only being able to adore Anne from afar for the next while.

"Yeah!" Anne breathed, and for a moment they did nothing but look at each other. Anne didn't know she had a favorite color, but in his eyes she found it, the mixture of green and brown, hazel with golden flecks, shimmering in a different shade depending on the light, sometimes darker, sometimes lighter but always in a way that made his eyes shine. The color they wore became her favorite and his eyes the favorite pair to look into. She found poetry in his eyes that she would have loved to put on paper. He as a whole was a fairytale, a perfectly imperfect prince, haunted by at least as many shadows as she was, and she wondered what part she played in the saga of his life. 

With a cough, Gilbert brought Anne back to the here and now, the fingers of his right hand weaving through his tousled curls at the back of his head as he addressed his words to Anne. "Um, I think I'll head over to the counter with Dellie. I'll be off then. Have fun, ladies!" He then nodded and walked over to Delphine, bending over to help the girl up from the floor, who looked after Anne, who was making her way with Ruby towards the Global and Bookish storage room.

"Come on honey bee, let's go. Your uncle has to work," he said, lifting his niece from the floor, noticing the disappointed expression on Delphine's face, her lips pursed, looking for Gilbert's hand, which she then found.

With a sad expression, she looked up at him, her eyes blank. "But I want to stay with Queen Anne." 

Gilbert exhaled, harboring the same desire as Delphine. "Me too, honey bee. Believe me, me too!" He watched Anne go, her waves of fire bobbing up and down, her curves swaying left and right as she walked further away from him, distancing herself more and more.

"I wish I could stay with her for the rest of my life." 

With twinkling hearts in his eyes, he stood in the exit of the children's corner, longingly fixing his gaze on her until she stepped over the threshold of the storeroom, feeling the blaze and desire for her under his skin and in his fingertips. He was not ready to tear his eyes away from her and let her go. But the door to the storeroom then slammed shut, leaving him with nothing to do but surrender in defeat, and so, with Dellie at his side, he made his way to the counter to serve the customers who were waiting to finally pay for their books, glancing sideways to where the storage room was located, wishing to have X-ray eyes to see the stars on her milky way that will always lit up his sky.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks if you made it to the end! In the next chapter, Ruby and Anne get to know each other better. Anne's jealousy returns and leads to a little accident but don't worry, rescue is at hand. Bash is finally back to tease Gilbert and who knows, he might even be a help to Gilbert this time when it comes to flirting. (He'll really be there, it's all written out).


	10. The Alignment Of The Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Ruby become friends. Gilbert and Anne struggle with their feelings and confuse each other but what's new? A veil is lifted from Anne's inner consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, dear readers! The new chapter is here. I don't know exactly what to think about it. I haven't been feeling so well the last few days and I don't know if it has negatively affected my writing. Anyway, I wanted to get the chapter out. I guess you guys will have to decide for yourselves if you like it. It's more dialogue than usual but still I didn't get to put in everything I wanted. This chapter is a little lighter but it will change a bit in the next one when Anne finally starts to open up to Gilbert. I hope you like it. Feel free to leave your thoughts on it!

The absence of light greeted Anne and Ruby the moment the squeaking door of the store's storage room fell into the lock behind them with a loud bang. Pitch black darkness in which neither of them could see their hands in front of their own eyes shadowed the unit where the bookstore operators stowed their goods. Anne clutched her heart with the palm of her right hand and jumped forward. Startled by the noise, almost tripping over her own feet in the act of trying to reach for Ruby, she waved her hands disoriented in the air of the gloomy place. Instead of Ruby, her fluttering arms found only emptiness in the air, standing too far away from her in the middle of the room, while Ruby remained by the door. The light switch made a clicking sound the moment Ruby's hand found it in the dim room, tapping her fingers along the wooden surface of the door until she reached it on the wall next to it. Two pairs of blue eyes blinked in rapid movements, gazing up at a white-silvery-hued pendulum lamp made of metal and plastic, dangling from the room’s white-painted ceiling from where it oscillated to the left and right. An unpleasant white flicker dazzled Anne and Ruby for a short moment. Both had to get used to the meager light that illuminated the room. Particles of dust swirled in the air, tickling the nostrils of the two, the whiff coupled with the smell of glue, printer's ink and packing material, plastic and cardboard boxes with which the publishing houses that sent the new publications to the bookstore had packed them. Roaming the room with her eyes Anne found it a dark and dusty place compared to the much finer-lit main rooms of the bookstore and its welcoming ambiance whence they came, spattered in shiny golden sprinkles of amber light, throwing a warm champagne gleam on the green-painted bookshelves towering upwards in the primary rooms of the store, varnished in the same color as the entrance door and window frames of the building built of red bricks based at Montgomery Avenue. Swaying in circulating motions above the two young women, the overhead lamp projected an incandescent flicker upon the space of the storage unit, only capable of providing just enough luminosity to see anything well enough. Myriad stacks of brownish boxes filled to the brink with fresh publications dotted the stiff texture of the carpeted floor like autumn leaves the pavements the afternoon Anne met Gilbert more than three weeks ago, whilst mountains of newly arrived books waited on two large wooden tables, standing in the center of the room to be sorted into the store's shelves. The preparation of the books, as always arranged in alphabetical order and by genre, made the job easier for Ruby, standing in front of one of the tables, in the process of training Anne and explaining to her the tasks coming her way, not quite able to distinguish that she shared her knowledge with the award-winning and bestselling author ASC. It wasn’t much they had to do, thanks to Sebastian's good prep work the day before. Working together as a team, they placed the many books on the book carts to effortlessly move them to their respective sections so they could be stashed into all the shelves, picking up the heaps of new published fiction and nonfiction works, piling them up on a trolley they then maneuvered from the back of the bookstore to the salerooms. 

While Gilbert tried his best to juggle his duties, wrapped up in taking care of the customers and Dellie all at once, Anne marched behind Ruby following her with observant eyes to the fiction segment of the shop, pushing a book cart loaded with new arrivals through the aisles full with seekers on the hunt for new stories to dive into. She held her chin aloft as her gaze skimmed across the premises of the cute bookstore. For the first time, she had time to take it all in properly, the wooden shelves so high that they reached the topmost points of the rooms, overladen with thousands of books of various genres, the timbered frames painted in a deep forest green lacquer, reminding her so much of Green Gables from the first moment Cole showed her the bookstore's Internet presentation some weeks ago. With her mouth agape, she stood amid the store, conveying a strong sense of home to her, a feeling of belonging right there, even though she didn't know exactly where it came from. The large windows captured today's somber daylight not in the best way, given the grey veil clouding the celestial sphere. However, on days with better weather conditions than today, the windows would supply the perfect light for her reading. She could picture it vividly in front of her mind's eye the moment she centered her gaze on the large window panes, decorated with white paper snowflakes and twinkling light curtains. Anne knew of the well-lit main rooms, so she wasn't worried about the lighting being too bad, noting a checkmark behind the topic on the list she had stored in the depths of her head. 

Trailing behind Ruby, the book cart in front of her rolling across the store's mousy gray carpet spread out on the grounds, making noises as if extra-large marbles bowled across it, Anne’s eyes drifted to the reading nook, located near the store's large glass openings, furnished with old vintage sofas and armchairs adorned with fluffy multicolored cushions. Falling in love with the corner, looking so inviting, cozy and homey, Anne exhaled a dreamy sigh, sure to have found the exact place there for her reading, making a mental note to ask Gilbert later if there was a possibility of expanding it for the time she would recite passages of her book there, perhaps adding some tables and chairs to give a wider crowd a chance to attend the event than the corner had room for right now. The flicker of a smile passed her lips, happy about the discovery of the venue where she preferred to present her book to the masses in a few weeks. In her stomach, joyful anticipation of her reading spread, bubbling in the pit like soap bubbles blown magically in the air in the same way the feeling Global and Bookish conveyed did. Only Ruby's gentle nudge against Anne's arm could get the author out of her daydream, alerting her that she was not only visiting Global and Bookish that day to further the planning for the next few weeks, but also to work there although no one would have resented her if she had decided against it. 

Anne stood in the fiction section with Ruby, the blonde repeating the tasks Anne had to master for the umpteenth time, wanting to make sure she had understood everything right. What she had to do didn't seem like a difficult task for her, after all, all she had to do was put the books on the shelves that Ruby would give her. A bit of a monotonous task if someone would have asked the redhead, but that was the result of having suggested to work there and it wasn't that it was the first time for her she worked in a bookstore. She often did it before her readings. It turned out to be a help for her to accustom herself to the shop's environment and its surroundings.

Almost 100 cm high, a blue step stool catapulted Anne into the air, standing on her left leg and balancing her body with the elegance of a ballerina over the narrow wooden surface. Her right arm thrust forward, placing a book between those waiting for new owners, her left held two more works, handed over by Ruby for Anne to stow on the shelf. The pink lacquered fingers of Ruby’s left hand clutched a pink notebook in a pocket-size, the white lined pages lying open in her hand. Filling the aisle with her feminine voice, she drowned out the scratchy sound of the black pen she stroked with her right hand across the page, noting the books that so far had found a new place on the bookstore shelves.

"So Anne, tell me. What is it between you and Gilbert?" She thirsted for knowledge, her eyes flickering between Anne and Gilbert who held the door open for an old man, tapping the sides of his forehead with his middle and index finger as he saluted the man farewell, a kind smile heaving his lips before he turned around, his orbs landing on Anne, trailing over her body to take her all in, her soft hills, the swaying curves of her hips, and the lava flow cascading over her back, falling softly over her shoulder blades like a shower of meteor dust, glowing with the color of love. He discovered the feeling he was sure was love only a few hours ago and it scared him, giving his heart a new beat and his mind new thoughts, both filled with only one name that became more of a feeling to him. 

Ruby’s face dotted with countless tiny freckles, displayed a knowing smile as she steered her attention back to Anne, one Anne couldn’t see, too busy filling the racks with new arrivals. She spoke in a hushed tone, being considerate of the bookworms meandering through the aisles the second she added something to her former words. "It's just that you seem to be close."

  
  


"I-"

The prominent author stilled for an instant, clutching the green wooden facade of the shelf with her left hand, the silver head of a nail pressing into the flesh of it, while in her right lay a book by a novelist unknown to her. Why did Ruby ask such a question? The query surprised her, for the reason that, on the one hand, she hadn't known Ruby for more than perchance an hour yet and, on the other, because her consciousness itself didn't quite have a clue about what this all between her and Gilbert had to opine. Without looking down at the blonde who awaited Anne's answer, her azure blue eyes drifted across the area to make sure of a clear coast, hoping to be not within earshot of customers and, above all, that Gilbert didn’t orbit in the vicinity to overhear something not meant for his ears, fortunately witnessing him serving an elderly lady to whom he presented his charming handsome smile at the cash desk. Although she loitered a few meters away from him, doing the work Ruby had asked her to do, not seeing him from a close range of view, she knew he gifted the lady one of his broad smiles, a happy curve forming the cute dimples she desired to caress with her fingertips. Following him with her eyes she released a dreamy sigh, traveling into a fantasy where she did what she had been dreaming about for some time, pressing her moist lips against the smoothness of his cheeks, the dimples that in recent weeks had become her weakest spot.

"Anne are you alright?" A long pause squeezed itself between the words she had directed to Anne, and Ruby questioned what hindered her from answering her. In the sigh, the redhead had let out into the air scented with the magic all the books in the shelves bore, Ruby heard longing, tilting her head to her right where she saw the object of Anne's desire although she had the gut feeling Anne herself was unaware of her longing for him, held back by a voice in the background of her mind, compelling her to deny what, on closer inspection, seemed so clear for everyone who saw the way they looked at each other. 

Cascades of fire whipped against Anne’s shoulders, motioning her head to the left and right whilst she attempted to get the thoughts of him out of her cerebrum which wasn't crowned with the success she wished for. It came as no surprise because how could she banish from her mind the person who had occupied it since the day she met him? He had nested himself in her head, like some chip turning off all her functions in his presence; her breathing, her verbalization, the pumping of blood flowing through her veins, and the beating of her heart, everything was disturbed, not working the way Anne knew it to be. He erased everything she once learned, coming out of the blue as he stepped into her life and took control over her being. Holding the strings over all her mechanisms in his hand, he restrained her like a puppeteer, pulling at the threads of the red-haired marionette who didn't know how it could happen that he had so much control over her emotionality and the totality of her being, her body, everything she was made of, every pore, and every single bone worked in a different way than all of her did before she knew him. When he stepped over the line that led him into her life, she became a different Anne, one she still had to face to understand why everything had changed.

"What do you mean?" Straight as a candle, her neck stretched like her entire body, long as a giraffe's, Anne remained rooted to the spot, the ground of the step stool hard beneath her feet just as the hammering beneath the layer of her left breast. Her muscles only lost tension as she shrugged her shoulders, Ruby's question circling in her mind to which she gave her an answer that, after she said it, left a bland aftertaste, tasting like a soup of denial and lies on her dry taste buds, thrown into a pot to protect whatever caused the pounding in her heart. “We're friends, nothing more, nothing less."

The baby blue orbs of Gilbert’s longtime friend scanned the note to see which books Anne had already placed on the shelf before she handed her a new load, secretly thinking to herself, 'Sure, Jan.' Ruby had seen enough to know what Anne said and how she behaved in truth were like night and day, absolutely contradictory. 

"Is that what you want then. His friendship?" she asked, writing the names of the books she had given Anne on the list, the focus of her eyes on the paper lying on the wooden surface of the book cart carrying loads of piles waiting to found a new owner. Her mind, however, had its focus entirely on Anne and her relationship with Gilbert. "Because excuse me for saying so, but the five minutes with you together were enough for me to come to the conclusion that at least you don't look at each other like friends. Gilbert and I are friends but this between you is a completely different thing, Anne, and I think you know that yourself. There's a certain tension that surrounds you. On top, there's something I can't quite put my finger on."

Ruby Gillis always saw everything through rose-colored glasses, Gilbert had warned Anne when he mentioned his group of friends to her. She recognized romance even where others probably wouldn't expect it, turning every stone around in the hope to find it in unexplored regions, so it was no wonder she discerned what Anne and Gilbert either couldn't or forbade themselves to see. To know exactly what hindered the two from taking the step out of friendship into what it really seemed to be, she didn't know Anne long and well enough, of course, but this circumstance still wouldn't stop her from pursuing her curiosity, which was fed with answers as the redhead’s delicate voice, sounding like the soft harmony of a harp solo, flooded the corridor.

"What makes you think that? I mean I haven't known him for long, especially not as long as you've known each other. We actually just became friends today and yes I like him...a lot... But just because I like him doesn't mean I'm in love with him." 

As if sprinkling from a fountain, her words left her mouth, hastily spoken with a rapidity almost as frenzied as the fluttering of her eyelids, curled up and coated in a layer of black mascara. Her red tendrils slapped against the green shelf the moment she shook her head, her confusion concerning her own feelings evident in her entire demeanor, not visible to Ruby who stood behind Anne, already about to pick up the next small pile of books from the book cart, rummaging through a box before she held a small stack of novels up in the air for Anne to take from her.

"I never said you were in love with him. Those were entirely your words." 

Ruby took a few steps to the side to look at Anne. The left corner of her mouth quirked up as she tucked the black pen she held in her hand, the golden emblem of the shop visible on it, behind her right ear, throwing the note on the book cart to fold her arms across her chest, waiting with patience for what Anne might answer. Eyeing her from the side, two imaginary question marks blinked in her dark blue orbs, desiring to learn more about the relationship of the redhead and one of her best friends the moment she leaned against the dolly, which rolled a bit to the side as she did so, startling her a tad. 

After a moment, she needed to grasp what Ruby had said, realization dawned on Anne whose rosy lips formed into an 'O' shape before she uttered the word aloud.

“Oh!”

"Yeah, oh." Ruby rose her chin in the air, wishing she could decipher in Anne's expression what this enlightenment was doing to her, but everything she saw led her to only one conclusion. It confused the redheaded author more than she willed to admit.

She knew the story of Gilbert roaming through the pelting rain of a November afternoon to follow an umbrella that turned out to belong to Anne. Moody had told her about it as well as the note his best friend pinned on Top Pot's Lost and Found board right after he met her, and denied pining after her when he told Moody it was pure curiosity that led him to post the note. The moment Moody told her about it came to her mind, the fit of laughter into which they both fell and she had to hold back so as not to burst out laughing once more, pressing her left hand to her mouth to hinder it from escaping her lips. Anne must have made a lasting impression on him, and the more stolen glances she watched them exchanging, she had a feeling it was more than a simple crush, at least for him. Maybe it was an earth-shaking thing, something momentous. Knowing Gilbert well enough, and judging by the languishing looks he fired in the redhead’s direction, he had to know the extent of his feelings. He might not know that he did it or thought it to be subtle enough that no one would notice, but in a bookstore full of people he looked at Anne as if she was the only person there with him, the only one who matters. Ruby could see it as she observed both with eagle eyes. What Anne's heart held for him, however, Ruby wasn't quite sure yet, though she discerned the same sparks in her eyes as she did in his.

From Anne, however, there came no further reply, taking once again a minute to herself to comprehend what she had told Ruby. Why she talked of love, Anne didn't know exactly herself and it made everything more complex and incomprehensible than it already was. If only she had a translator for the weight in her heart at hand, a box into which she could speak all the sensations unfolding in her mind, heart, and body he unearthed, something capable to convey to her in a glass-clear way what all these confusing things meant. They made her heart almost explode every time he was close to her. He shifted her thinking, her feeling, and her acting, her whole being went through a change. Whenever she spent time with him, her heart expanded, swelling with emotion, blooming and growing with every second she had with him. In her stomach, a whole swarm of butterflies buzzed around, roaring through the cage of her ribs and the walls of her heart, awakening a tingling sensation as foreign and new to her as anything ever had before. He unbalanced her heart and all went above her head, something she could not find words to describe. Perhaps she found her soulmate in him, the twin flame igniting everything in her, being someone who radiated familiarity from day one, even though she had never met him before. The day she encountered him became the day she learned what it felt like to crave for someone and it went beyond a physical longing. Perhaps her soul fell in love with his, but did that mean her heart did the same? 

Since all the things running through her mind made her ponder, she hiked down the three steps of the footstool on which she flopped down with a thud to rest for a moment, propping her face in the palms of her hands, her cheeks burning under them. A heavy exhalation escaped her lips, almost sounding as if she climbed down Mount Everest and not a three steps high footstool. Her slender chin rested in the hollow of her hands while her gaze roamed the store and fell on him. A drum roll took over the rhythm of her heart, pulsating out of control against her rib cage as their eyes met, the corners of his lips pointing skyward, his million-dollar smile on display. She would have paid him billions of dollars to see his white teeth and the two craters on his cheeks, but she got it for free, his Anne smile, meant for no one but her. Had Ruby's voice not drowned out the thunderstorm in her heart, the turmoil inside her chest might have had the answer to all her questions. 

"Can I be honest with you, Anne?" Ruby longed to know, with her watchful eyes at some of the customers, giving them a smile and a friendly nod as they trekked across the aisle, greeting them with politeness, implementing the number one rule of Global and Bookish when it comes to the behavior towards their clients.

Anne sloped her head to the side, her hair cascading over her shoulders, a flood of red waves, splashing against the fabric of Gilbert’s green plaid shirt. Her eyes drifted back to Ruby whose voice had destroyed the spell his magnetic orbs almost cast over her, the corners of them flickered, having problems resisting the force of the hypnotic swirl in hazel eyes. 

"I feel like I can't stop you anyway,” she said, casting an eye over the many skin stars on Ruby’s face, almost littering the entire surface of it. Tiny freckled constellations danced around the ivory surface of her complexion, dotting it like golden clusters a nocturnal firmament. Anne discovered uniqueness in what she saw without even thinking for a minute about the mesmerizing stars freckling her own milky way.

"And you're absolutely right about that." A grin flashed into view, Ruby’s glossy lips shining in a pinkish hue, her blue eyes shooting to the lambent light tubes on the ceiling before glancing back up at Anne, who could sense what Ruby had to say was in all likelihood related to Gilbert. Either way, her suspicion became a reality as Ruby’s grin vanished like autumn fog and her lips moved instead.

"Let me be honest with you, Anne. Gilbert is a great guy, one of the best I ever met. After all, I had a huge crush on him in high school for a reason. 

A bit surprised by what Ruby had said, Anne wrinkled her nose, leaning her head back against the shelf as she looked the blonde in the eye, arching a questioning eyebrow in her direction. Curiosity shimmered in her own eyes paired with something that simmered inside of her reaching the front of her consciousness. Jealousy? She wasn't sure, but the pang running through her heart could have been a sign and she had no idea how to decode it.

"You did?"

The blonde's head bobbed up and down, her golden locks moving in the act. "I did but no reason to worry. It's all in the past. So, he's all yours." Her girlish and bubbly voice left her mouth, accompanied by the sound of her giggles filling the space. “ I have already found the love of my life," she told Anne in addition to her former words, a pretty glow spreading over her face after she mentioned Moody to whom she referred as the love of her life, a pink gleam hueing her lifted cheeks while a meek smile danced around her lips. "Who knows maybe you have found yours too." The last sentence she uttered came along with a suggestive wink Anne knew to interpret, giving Ruby a pointed look, even if it resembled more a death stare.

"Ruby!" she said in a serious tone and a bit exaggerated, sounding like a teacher about to get her student's attention or more like Marilla when she is about to scold someone. “I'm not worried why should I?”

Making every effort not to shake her head in wonder at Anne's denial, Ruby sighed instead, releasing her breath through her nostrils into the empty hallway. "My God, Anne. I wonder how long you're going to live in your denial but you probably just need some more time." She placed her hand on Anne's shoulder, patting it in a way Anne didn't know how to interpret. 

  
  
  


What did she need time for? Was it so clear for others to see what tumults were going on in her, the constant fight between her mind waging war with the quintessence of her inner self, doing the utmost to doubt everything her heart discerned thus transported her into the denial of her feelings, although she was getting more and more behind it all, the emotions her heart held for him? In the end, all she lacked was the courage to seek the confrontation with her feelings to openly admit what her heart harbored for Gilbert. Yes, maybe she needed time but maybe she needed even more a sign from him, something to keep the flame of hope alive. The hope that he belongs in her heart like she thought she belongs in his. No one ever fit her heart as well as he did, a puzzle piece with the right contours to fit into its gaps, so perfectly shaped for the place that felt so empty all along, filling in the holes with pieces of himself that just matched as if they were made for her. Anne imagined that everything inside her, the eruption of feelings he was unearthing were just like him, a riddle, a puzzle hard to put together, not because she didn't know how to figure it out, but because she was playing it for the first time in her life and she was afraid of losing, not even considering that maybe there was so much for her to gain if she dared to put together every emotion in her heart and decipher the riddle of her feelings.

A gentle slap on her shoulder pulled Anne out of the bubble her thoughts had dragged her into. Ruby craved her attention, her eyes filling with mirth and mischief as a crooked grin quirked up one side of her mouth, the left corner of it raising higher than the other.

"I guess we both agree that he is an attractive man, don't we?" 

The grin on Ruby’s face widened. Anne rolled her eyes in annoyance, trying to resist the urge to give in to the magnetism that thickened the air and would drag her gaze to the bookstore checkout, the place where he priced some books, watched by Delphine who seemed content enough to spend some quality time with her favorite uncle. 

Why was Ruby so keen on talking about Gilbert and why was she so damn good at getting information out of Anne? Ruby possessed a talent for coaxing out of Anne what she would otherwise never say so freely to anyone, encountering her on an emotional level that somehow made it easy for Anne to share her thoughts about Gilbert, almost as if Ruby were a friend, a Kindred Spirit rather than a strange if friendly young woman she met for the first time that day.

Feeling Ruby's probing and unyielding gaze on her, she raised her hands in defeat. "Fine, yes, okay." The pounding in her heart, and the tug of the thread, laced with his, did what she tried not to do, shifting her eyes in his direction where she saw him towering with his long frame above Delphine from behind, who sat in a chair hidden behind the counter, his hand clasped around hers as he explained the device he and she used to label a book together, Dellie’s eyes sparkling with interest and pride as she succeeded tagging a price on one book by her own. Warmth spread across Anne's chest, her heart pounding hard when she saw him planting a loving kiss on the girl's cheek.

"Good job, honey bee." His melodic voice echoed through the corridors of Global and Bookish the moment he high-fived with his niece, loud enough for Anne to hear, his eyes leading him to where his mind was, to the beautiful dryad, sitting on a blueish step stool. 

The ring of her new favorite sound dipped like liquid honey into the pores of Anne's epidermis, bringing out a warm feeling in her, one able to pass through the threshold of the door in front of her heart to which he found an entrance without having a key for it, setting her insides on fire, burning with a feeling she only noticed in his presence, no matter if he orbited in her space or if he stood inches away from her on the cash register like he did right now, his attentiveness as so often centered on nothing but her.

"He's such an attractive man,” Anne admitted, the tone of her voice croaky and low, dazzled by the smile he directed at her, his globes roaming over her heated face. Feeling caught, her gaze hit the floor like a dropping snowflake, the streets this morning, taking in a sharp breath before she addressed her words anew, her voice a hushed tone, since she didn’t want to risk being heard by him. “In every possible way, Ruby. I have never seen a more gorgeous man than him. God, just look at him and how good he is with Delphine." She then blew out her cheeks, her heavy exhalation meeting the book-scented air. 

What came out of Ruby’s mouth in response almost sounded like a relieved sigh. “At least you admit that. Well, it's a small step but a beginning. After all, it's better than nothing. And of course, I'm not blind...unlike you.” Her mouth twitched, but she stifled her laughter, giving her all to hold it back from leaving her lips. Anne may be a famous writer, but there was something down-to-earth, an undeniable aura surrounding her, and Ruby understood why Gilbert was magnetically drawn to her. The mystery ASC got a face with Anne, it was tangible. For Ruby, Anne felt like an opportunity, not only for Global and Bookish or Gilbert, but also for her, like an old friend she didn't know how much she missed in her life.

"I am not blind." Anne protested, not tearing her eyes away from the gray carpeting for fear of getting lost in the warm swirl of hazel eyes as soon as she lifted her head. 

In the last few weeks, she became aware of the magnetic force held by his eyes, the gravity in them always strong enough to let gray-bluish eyes collide with greenish-brown ones. Gilbert was a mystery to her because he was doing something no one did or could do before. He drew her in, so deep that she couldn't find an exit out of him. Not only his eyes had a magnetic field. Everything he was made of held energetic cruxes, containing something hypnotizing and spellbinding. She was attracted to everything about him, the things she could see and what could be found in his head and heart, his outward appearance, his humor, the way he articulated himself, his kindness, and how he treated other people. It was more than just attraction and Anne was aware of it. There was a feeling of getting lost, in pools of hazel and words of truth, in his deeds and his being, and with each passing day, she fell deeper for him, into his innermost parts which defined him as a person, for the reason that she had the feeling all he did, he did without ulterior motives. Already everything was different compared to what she had with Roy, her first and only boyfriend so far, who had nothing else in mind than to profit from her profession. Roy was attractive, sure, coming close to what she called her ideal of a man until his character turned out to be the exact opposite of it. He always saw only the light in her, closing his eyes to her shadows that haunt her to this day like ghosts hovering over her to remind her daily of the dark chapters of her past in which the name Roy also appeared for the people who had the honor to glimpse into the book of her life. Not many know the details of it, Cole being the only one, but Gilbert seemed willing to take the plunge into her abysses to fathom the foundation of her existence, seeing more in Anne than the talented writer she is.

Anne took a deep breath just as the doorbell rang above the front door of the bookstore, steering her attention in the direction from which the sound came. The cold from outside floated into the rooms of Global and Bookish, hitting the redhead's face, cooling down Anne's cheeks, which glowed like a hot lava stone. But she saw no one, perhaps a customer had left the shop, so she glanced down again, this time at her hands, folded in her lap. "I can admit that I find him attractive but that doesn't automatically mean there is more to it." A heavy sigh escaped her, moving her blue eyes to stare at the bookshelf opposite of her. Absentmindedly and without thinking about it, she breathed her next words into the corridor.

"Cole, he's my manager, and one of my best friends always calls him hot and of course he is but if there was one word I would have to use to describe him I think it would be pulchritudinous."

  
  


"Pulchri- what?" Ruby asked, leaning with her back against the high rack, her left eyebrow lifting upwards, surprised by Anne's statement. 

Smiling in amusement at Ruby's cluelessness, Anne detached her eyes from the bookshelf she stared at, a flash of movement catching her orbs as several customers wandered the aisle. It wasn't meant badly, and she didn't think Ruby was stupid. The eloquent writer just broke out of her and it just amused her that the word she used seemed to be unknown to Ruby. "Beautiful, Ruby. Gilbert Blythe is a truly beautiful man. He makes me want to write about him. Poems, countless pages full of beauty. He is inspiring, a dream, just too good to be true."

"Do you mean too good for you, Anne? Because if that's what you think, then you can scrap the thought right away. There is no such thing as too good or too bad, only right or wrong. My opinion may not interest you, I mean why should it, after all, I am a stranger to you but I have the feeling that you are right for each other, whether as friends or whatever you decide to be."

Still sitting on the step stool Anne gazed up at Ruby in question, to whom she did not answer, not capable of finding the right words. She fidgeted with Gilbert's brown leather belt, tied around her waist and his green plain shirt, hugged to her flesh, smelling so intensively like him. His fragrance enveloped her entire body so she inhaled his perfume, the aroma of green forests and the blue expanse of the sea, a smell of home, creating the same feeling as his strong arms and hands, a sentiment of arrival and homecoming to the port that called for her. Only she did not know whether she was a traveler in his harbor or if she was there to anchor at the bottom of his existence. She was always a lonely ship, aimlessly sailing across the high seas but should her journey come to an end with him? She didn't dare to consider it even though part of her was hoping to find peace for her restless heart in the safest haven she had ever found.

The dreamy look that filled Anne's sea-like eyes didn't escape Ruby, whose face lit up, the corners of her mouth moving, curling into a knowing smile.

"You got it bad, girl," she voiced her thoughts, getting more and more the feeling that no matter what it might be Gilbert felt for the redheaded author, it would be reciprocated with at least the same magnitude from her. Anne's eyes rounded in shock, the arch above her left one rising, Her forehead wrinkled, forming 3 lines between her brows while her mouth hung wide open.

"I...I- no." She couldn't say more than that. The words slipped out of her mouth with a stammer. 

"Yeah, and I'm not Ruby Gillis. Gosh, what a denial," Ruby whispered to herself, unable to believe how blind Anne was to her own feelings. 

As the first person, Ruby pointed out that Anne's heart might have got lost to him even if she knew she lost more to him than just that. From day one he predatorily stole so many other parts of her, without her being able to say no. How could she allow him to take what she had kept so well locked up all these years and not notice how the heart thief reached into her chest, clutched her heart with his fingers, and plucked it like a rose? She hoped he would put it in his breast pocket to be close to the place she knew she wished to claim for herself. 

Seeing Anne's reaction, Ruby pondered how to keep the conversation light so she decided to try humor, not wanting to ruin her chance at a possible friendship with Anne just because she brought up something Anne might not be ready to hear although she had no idea if humor was the solution. "Sure you wouldn't rather use the word 'mouth watering' to describe him? You are drooling." She let out a guffaw that echoed throughout the entire bookstore, filling the air with the sound of her laughter. Somehow the blonde's laughter was contagious, jumping over to Anne, a hearty laugh falling from her lips as well, mingling with Ruby's. 

"I'm not! For fucks sake, stop teasing me." She did her best to sound annoyed, but the twitching of the corners of her closed mouth, her lips tightly pressed together, indicated that she felt rather well entertained by Ruby and didn't take anything too serious, having no idea that everything Ruby said she meant in dead seriousness, no matter how cheerfully she might have phrased it.

Just as their laughter rang through the area, the sun emerged from behind gray clouds, caught by the large windows through which the rays fell into the bookstore, dancing in golden flickers on the walls, painting the rooms in a celestial hue of gold and copper, an amber gleam of elegance that enveloped every corner of the store.

"Sorry, but that's what happens when you're only friends with men." Ruby apologized, holding her hands up in the air although she had the impression that there was no reason for it. But they were words of truth. Ruby had no female friends, probably for that reason, seeing the chance to find in Anne something she longed for all these years. For a split second, her head sank to the ground like the blossom of a snowdrop after its first awakening from hibernation. Her shoulders slumped with a sigh that contained what sounded like sadness. But she collected herself and her thoughts quickly, plastering a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"However, the best teacher in teasing is actually Bash. If you want to tease the hell out of Gilbert, always call for him. He's the best in it and I'm certain he'll train you. Gilbert hates his teasing nature so much. It's honestly pretty funny."

Wearing a smile on her lips, the author remembered Delphine's behavior that morning, her subliminal teasing, certainly not knowing what she was doing when she insisted on making it clear that hazel eyes and the ones holding an ocean carried hearts they gazed at each other with. She must have inherited it from her father.

"Dellie doesn't seem to be bad at it either." Her remark made her chuckle, her eyes reflecting a single ray that had nothing to do with the yellow core whose rays descended to earth. It was a spark ignited by the heat in her body, witnessing Delphine sitting behind the checkout counter on Gilbert's lap, something that looked like a sheet of paper in front of her on which she was drawing something. Gilbert placed a kiss on the girl's scalp, his palm then brushing over her head until his gaze fell on Anne, who returned the smile he gave her, hearing Ruby's angelic voice just then.

"She got it from her papa. You must know, as cute as she is, she's a wild child. A firecracker who loves to cause trouble."

Anne grinned, averting her gaze from Gilbert to give Ruby her attention.

"I can imagine that." 

* * *

"Honeybee, this is not a coloring book. How are we supposed to get this book sold now? Do you have enough money to pay for it?"

The tonality of Gilbert's voice shifted her focus back to the counter where she saw him holding a book in his hand, the unfolded work with a light blue cover and white lettering swaying in the breeze, filled with the olfactory experience only a bookstore had to offer, a mixture of sandalwood and printer's ink. He looked down at Dellie, who looked up at him with a pout, her head bobbing left and right to give Gilbert the answer he expected, knowing that Delphine had spent her allowance last week to buy her favorite pastry next door at Goodness Bake, a full box of donuts and two chocolate croissants. Delphine had a sweet tooth and her parents let her have it, as long as it wasn't too much.

The sad look the little girl gave her uncle was enough to cut right through Anne's heart, the sparkle gone replaced by tears welling in chocolate brown eyes. Wanting to help Dellie, she rose from the step stool. With her hands folded behind her back, she approached the two at the checkout counter, slowly trotting through the corridors of the bookstore until she emerged from one and surprised Gilbert and Delphine with a dazzling smile on her lips, standing directly in front of the counter on whose wooden top Gilbert had placed the book in which Dellie seemed to have drawn something and now apparently could no longer be sold.

"Hi, cuties! I hope you don't think I am a nosy cow but I could not overhear you. Let me buy the book! I've always wanted a Princess Delphine drawing." Anne flashed them both a sunny smile, feeling his gaze on her as so often but she tried to ignore it. Yes, it was hard and almost unfeasible but she had no choice if she didn't want to be drawn back into the windows of his soul where she saw reflections of herself. So she sucked in a deep breath, which she released into the rooms of Global and Bookish along with the words she yet wanted to say to him. "My money's upstairs, though. Please write it down so I don't forget to give it to you. Will you?" she asked, seeing his right hand rising to the back of his head, which he scratched, the noise of his habit audible to Anne.

_Did she call him cutie?_

As always, Anne made a skittish bundle of nerves out of him, and all she had to do to achieve it was to stand there, flashing him her eternal summer smile with which she made him forget the winter cold. All she had to do was just be Anne, the woman in whose arms he wanted to fall the same way he desired to sink into her lips and her completeness, dropping so deep into her that nothing could get him out of her depths so easily. He wished to discern everything that made her the person whose heart buried the qualities he fell in love with, the whole picture hued by colors dark and light, painting the rainbow and the black of her shadows he was not afraid to meet one day, given that he did not only want to bask in her sun. He wanted to dance with her demons, explore every corner of her soul, love her as a whole and not just the light in her. 

Now she made him this kind offer to buy the book Dellie had ruined in her zeal and it turned his mind to mush. With all her imperfections, she embodied perfection for him, a breath of fresh air for the life she rushed into without warning, the biggest storm he ever faced, an adventure that would require courage and patience, a brave heart to win hers.

"Uh, you don't have to do that. You weren't the one who came up with the glorious idea of coloring a 25 dollar book," he told Anne, threading the fingers of his hand placed at the back of his head through his curly locks. "But I have to say that not many people have a real Delphine Lacroix. Maybe one day it will increase in value and you will be swimming in money. Maybe I should keep it for myself after all." He let out a laugh, echoing throughout the area.

"I call dibs, Gil. It's mine." Why did she say that? It sounded like something Dellie might say.

He cocked an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "And what if I call dibs on you. Are you mine then?" Though it was meant to be a joke, there was a meaning hidden in that sentence, a heaviness in his gaze fixed on Anne whose eyes popped wide open.

"I...I-" Anne drew in a sharp breath, using the seconds to piece together intelligible sentences. "I'm not property you can claim. So no, you can't call dibs on me. I look at it this way...Instead of claiming someone you should try to win them over. Wanting to win something requires fighting for it. It is work and I want someone who feels that I am worth it, someone who will walk through fire and overcome mountains to get me, because that is what a person who wants to win me must do. But why would you do that?" In a way, her statement was very contradictory, because wasn't his heart exactly what she wanted to claim for herself? No, she wanted to win his heart even if it meant shedding every layer of her being and putting her trust in his hand. But was he the kind who fights to win rather than to claim? She didn't know where her last sentence came from but maybe his answer would help to know what he felt for her. Then again, maybe it wouldn't. 

A sigh with which he released the heaviness that flashed in his eyes escaped his lips. "Yeah, why would I..." 

_After all, you're just the most beautiful and interesting woman I've ever met._

His thoughts remained what they were, thoughts he didn't dare to voice. From his hands clutching the corners of the counter, he lifted his gaze, looking Anne straight in the face. "You see, calling dibs on something or someone is childish."

"Yeah, totally," Anne said, her voice low. "But the book is still mine." She covered the book whose title she had not yet seen with her right hand, her gaze resolutely focused on Gilbert, whose lips formed into a grin

"Fine! Who knows maybe you'll even learn something from the book. I for one have heard nothing but good things about it. "

Curiosity glowed in ocean blue eyes. Her hand slipped from the cover of the light blue work, revealing the title she read aloud. "30 Lessons for Loving!" Scarlet heat warmed her cheeks, swallowing hard as her eyes swept over the white letters once more. "Uhm, well, I guess you can never get enough knowledge, and if there's one subject I need to catch up on, that's it." With her fingertips she tapped the space below the word 'loving', her words coming along with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She never loved romantically so it was not a lie and to admit it in this way took so much courage.

Gilbert knew that Anne had bad experiences with men and he doubted the intelligence of them, of course not knowing how many relationships she had so far. But someone who did not recognize her beauty in its entirety did not deserve her. It was so simple. A man who did not see the lovely qualities of this woman did not deserve her attention and heart. God, how could someone not fall for her?

He cleared his throat, the sound ringing through the air and mingling with the whispers of some book lovers discussing the books they held in their hands nearby. "I think I do too. I have to catch up with love" he admitted, seeing Anne's left eyebrow raised in disbelief. 

"I don't think so, Gil. Just look around, don't you see the way women look at you. You could have so many. Even Cole has a crush on you." Thinking of Cole and his praises for Gilbert, Anne couldn't help but giggle. She didn't understand how Gilbert could be single, not when there were pairs of eyes lingering on him in all corners.

"Anne-girl, this has nothing to do with love, and believe me when I tell you that I have already seen two guys checking you out today. You're attractive so I'm not surprised and yeah, some women find me attractive but that means nothing. I don't want to be looked at by multiple women. I want the right one to do it." 

"But maybe one of them is the right one for you."

"I don't think so."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Anne-girl!" Gilbert brushed his palm across his face. On his tongue, the words he wished he could say waited to be spoken. 

_Because everything in me says you're the one._

However, Gilbert remained silent, assuming that Anne was not yet ready to hear it. He took a moment to take a deep breath, which he let out in a heavy exhalation with his words. "I just know. I've never been more sure of anything than this. Believe me, when the right person comes along, someday, whenever it is. I'll know. And I hope you know it when it happens to you." His eyes flickered over her face, wanting to tell her, _it's you, it's been you from the beginning_. 

To his chagrin, Anne couldn't read his gaze, just nodding her head, hearing the thousand questions rotating in her mind that gave her a headache."Right. I hope so too." Anne held his gaze as if to say, _I feel I have found that person in you._

Sighing and looking at Dellie, Gilbert saw that she only had eyes for Anne the fairy queen, and he could understand why. She looked ethereal, the light shining into the bookstore casting a glow over Anne, fiery red hair coming alive, flickering like a bonfire on a dark late summer evening, flames of red and orange. She seemed to be a cosmic creature, lighting up his sky every time the sparkle in her eyes appeared and her lips wore the smile forming craters like the moon. His sky knew only one star and he could do nothing else to gaze at her, becoming the stargazer who didn't need a telescope to see her gracefulness. Admiring the brightest cluster he had ever seen, her beauty was about to maneuver him into a dream that had already reached his inner eye, awakening in him the desire to dance with her in flames, in the heat of a blazing heart. Just thinking about it gave his heart sharp palpitations. His dark curls swayed to the right and the left, shaking his head to get the image out of his inner eye, the heart of fire disappeared, the loud throbbing in his chest and the idea of her pressed tightly against his body, however, did not and so he cleared his throat to prevent the awkward silence that was about to befall them from settling over them.

"Um, by the way, before I forget it. Mary told me to tell you that it will take at least until tomorrow for her to wash your coat. Since I don't want you to freeze to death later when you leave, you can take mine. Before you say anything...I know it will be too big for you but I want you to be warm. It's freezing outside.”

Anne's gaze followed his forefinger, which fell to the coat rack in the corner next to Global and Bookish's front door, pointing to his red plaid jacket, the one he wore the afternoon as the November rain brought him to her, the kindest, handsomest, most interesting man the autumn storm could have given her, the man who seemed to have just as much trouble deciphering the complex called love. He cared about her and her heart noticed it, quickening after his words left his lips. 

"Oh, thanks. You're too kind, Gil. That is considerate of you." She thanked him shyly, lowering her head as she shifted her focus back to him and Delphine, exchanging only minimal eye contact with him, hoping her cheeks, which must have been flushed as warm as they felt, wouldn't catch his eye.

His lips curved upward, giving her a smile that disappeared when he opened his mouth. "Everything for you, Anne-girl," he said his voice low and rough, as if a knot was forming in his throat, thick with emotions that were building up inside him, waiting to be discharged.

"Everything!"

The intensity in his gaze and how he pronounced it that breathy _everything_ made Anne swallow because it sounded like he would fly to the moon if she asked him to do it, sitting down on the silver eye of the night to search for the brightest star he would name after her before throwing a lasso over it and catching it for her. Not wanting to get lost in the maze of hazel eyes that were trying everything to draw Anne in, at least that was what Anne thought, she looked to Dellie, whose eyes were on the fairy queen with an awestruck expression twinkling in them. 

"Can I take a look at it?" 

She meant the book her index finger was pointing to, the love advisor she was about to buy to save the girls trouble. How fitting that Dellie had chosen a guidebook for matters of the heart. If it wasn't so embarrassing Anne would have almost laughed. To her, $25 was peanuts, but she knew that especially the small bookstores depend on every penny they can earn in times when many people consume books in online varieties, and Global and Bookish seemed to be a small fish in a tank full of sharks. Of course, she didn't know the financial situation of the bookstore, but in a metropolis like Toronto, teeming with bookstores, perhaps G&B had to fight for survival in the market like so many others.

Dellie only nodded in response, too deeply engrossed in her admiration for Anne, into whose face drilled two pairs of eyes at once. Putting her hand on the bluish cover of the book, she opened it, not being able to stop her giggles from coming out, when she saw on the first two pages, the drawing with which Dellie decorated it. 

"Is that me with the red hair? You are so talented, honey bee. I need to show this to my friend Cole. You must know that he is an artist almost as talented as you." She pressed her hand against her mouth, releasing the remaining sounds of her giggles into her palm.

"Really?" Dellie's chocolate brown button eyes widened while a toothy grin that resembled her father's lit up her face.

"Hmm," Anne hummed, giving the picture a closer look in the meantime. "And who is this holding my hand? He looks familiar."

"That's me," Gilbert blurted, eager to add to the conversation. "Who else has such fluffy curls but me?" His cheeks lifted as he quipped, flashing Anne a big grin that formed the two attractive hollows on which Anne wanted to plant a kiss, at the same time feeling the urge to weave her hands through his curls, to which he brought his left index finger and wrapped a strand around it. 

"That's me, isn't it?"

"Of course, that's you, uncle Gilby. Daddy has curls too but a beard and look I even gave you heart eyes." Dellie's small hands grasped the book lying on the counter, which she turned so that Gilbert had a better view of it, clapping her hands enthusiastically and proudly, thus putting a sweet smile on Anne's lips, at which Gilbert's eyes hung, wishing he could kiss it away. Dellie had drawn stick figures but was telling the truth. The stick figure with brown curls actually had red hearts in his eyes.

"The famous heart eyes. You have captured your uncle perfectly." Anne could not help herself from making a teasing comment. "He looks cute."

She had long forgotten that she was there to work. Something always drew her to him. If it wasn't his eyes, it was his voice, and if it wasn't his warm timbre, it was the invisible thread that connected her to him. Did she want to seek his proximity, like the moon seeks proximity to the stars? Probably not, but there was no remedy against the attraction and so she circled around him like the stars do in the darkness of the night, unobtrusively and observing, because it just felt so damn right to be close to him.

"Cute, huh?" Anyway, Gilbert figured two could play a game. Bending forward with a mischievous smile, adorning his handsome features, he placed his hands in the crooks of Delphine's arms and lifted her, setting her on the counter before placing his hand on her drawing, his words directed at her though his gaze was on Anne. "And why are Queen Anne and I holding hands. Can you tell me honey bee?"

"That's easy." Dellie started, rubbing her nose, taking a moment to put her words together. "Daddy always says that Queen Anne is the queen of your heart. So I crowned her your queen. See the crown on your head? You are her king. Why else does she give you heart eyes?" Gilbert nodded, giving his all to keep from falling into a fit of laughter, not seeing Anne roll her eyes, the very ones in which Dellie thought she saw hearts. "Besides, Queen Anne likes it when you hold her hand. I saw it when we went down the stairs. Yes, I did and in her eyes, there were stars and hearts. She smiled so pretty when you hold her hand, just like mommy always does when daddy kisses her."

Oh, Delphine was a smart and observant girl and although Gilbert hated all the teasing that came from the girl with no ill intentions, too young to do what she did out of full awareness, he loved her talent for reading people. She would surely become something great someday, perhaps a lawyer like Cordelia in Anne's books. No matter what path lay ahead of her young life, she would walk it with the fighter's heart of a lioness and the open eyes of an eagle, and as long as she wanted him by her side, he would walk with her. Unable to hide his love for Delphine he gave her a kiss on the cheek which she wiped away with the sleeves of her yellow knit sweater.

"Uncle Gilby, not in front of Fairy Queen Anne."

"I'm sorry, honeybee. Forgive me for loving you." 

Dellie nodded, her two braids bouncing up and down. "Love you too."

Gilbert looked to Anne, a questioning look visible in his eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest, "You like it when I hold your hand, huh ?" The grin on his face continued to grow until it reached his eyes, which sparkled with what filled them every time his gaze traveled to her.

The fire blazing in his eyes, kindled by her gave off a heat, casting a burning web across Anne's cheeks, and painted it into a redness, bringing the familiar heat to her, able to warm her face. 

"What?" She lifted her shoulders and shrugged, her gaze lowered, not daring to look at him. "Your warm hands make me feel safe. It wasn't the fact that you held my hand that pleased me, but how you did it. I think any other person would have liked that too." Her attempts to control her voice failed, rather shrill and high-pitched echoing through the store, somehow not sounding like her own.

Holding his hand was everything to her, an anchorage and what gave her wings all in one. Of course, she couldn't bring herself to tell him that. She was just beginning to understand what he was to her, she just couldn't admit more, at least not yet.

She didn't know when it happened, too busy trying to keep her eyes from falling into his, but his hand found her. It fell on hers, the one that lay on the counter covering the book. He covered her with the feeling of safety and something she felt only with him, something so foreign there was nothing that could have described it. A flash went through her entire body, her pores opening, every hair standing to attention. Goosebumps pebbled her skin, the language of her heart and soul, writing lyrics inspired by his touch into her layers. And every time this feeling came over her, it awakened voices that sang a ballad, of emotions that she learned to understand more and more.

Gently squeezing her hand, lying under his like the most precious treasure the storm of a November day washed up on the shore, wanting to claim it as its rightful finder, he glanced at her with a look full of meaning.

Maybe Anne didn't need the guidebook her hand blanketed to understand what love was. His touch might have given her the answer, that, and everything he gave her. She had the impression she had to learn to read between the lines to explain and fathom the book called Gilbert Blythe.

"Does that mean you feel safe with me, Anne-girl?" He spoke his words softly, partly because there were customers around and partly because his voice was too feeble to speak louder, loaded with feelings that were becoming harder for him to keep under control by the day.

She could no longer resist the urge to look into his eyes, and so she stumbled into hazel eyes that left her speechless and robbed all words from her mind except one. "Yes!" Anne exhaled, hitting Gilbert's face with her exhalation, tickling it with it. Her answer, brief but decisive, was enough to paint a smile on his lips that shone brighter than any before, as if he had hit the jackpot, achieved something he had not thought possible.

Anne felt safe with him and knowing how difficult it was for her to allow others to enter her life, it seemed to him like a dream, one from which he no longer wanted to be awakened. That she felt safe in his presence was the first step, now he hoped that the security he radiated would eventually make her confide in him to find out what her heart desired and if he had a place in it. 

"That's all I ever wanted," he replied, watching as Dellie sat on the counter and reached for his hair, searching for a strand to wrap around her finger. "The highest priority for me is your safety, that you feel comfortable, here and everywhere we are together. Knowing you feel safe with me makes me a very happy man."

Swallowing hard, aware of the lump in her throat, Anne just nodded in farewell. The words she wanted to say to him getting stuck somewhere along the way and so she withdrew her hand from him, heading back to her work. His gaze, which he fired after her, dipped through her clothes, or rather his clothes, intensely drilling into her backside. Her knees wobbled whilst she neared the aisle where Ruby waited for her. The temperature she perceived made her melt under his gaze, dripping onto the floor in a puddle of warmth and desire for him.

* * *

"Are you still telling me you're just friends? Because what I have just witnessed tells me otherwise."

Ruby’s angelic voice met Anne’s ears as she sought her attention. With observant eyes, she had witnessed all from a distance. She beamed knowingly, giving Anne a nudge in the side with her elbow as she came back. Once again the redhead flopped down on the step stool, in need of a moment to get a grip over her emotional state. Gilbert didn't need to do much to throw everything in her off balance. The last five minutes, his smile, the dimples that formed with it, and his hand on hers were enough to shift her feelings further and further toward him. God, how was she supposed to work when he made it impossible for her to concentrate? Ruby was no help either, giving her a look that needed no words to tell Anne that she demanded an answer, which Anne gave her, albeit reluctantly right then.

“How many times do I have to tell you? We are friends, Ruby. Just friends. Believe it or not.”

“No, Anne,” Ruby said with her back leaning against the book cart, her hands placed on her hips the moment she gazed in disbelief at Anne. “Sorry, but I can't believe in anything that sounds so... wrong. Dellie said he gives you heart eyes and she may only be five but she's right. His eyes are so full of romance whenever he looks at you. If he had given me the looks in high school that he gives you today, I'm sure I could have died happy." 

For a split second, Ruby’s mind left the place, wandering to a pink dream cloud. Her eyes held a dreamy look accompanied by a soft sigh. Her reaction came not because she still harbored romantic feelings for Gilbert, they were long gone, but because she felt she had discovered romance and if anyone was a sucker for it and everything to do with love, it was Ruby Gillis.

Again a person spoke of his eyes, and this time it was not a five-year-old girl whose credibility Anne could have doubted. Was it romance hiding behind the cornea of hazel eyes sparkling whenever he looked at her? Could it be that the warmth in his mesmerizing eyes that had a way of melting her heart and making her knees tremble was ignited by what he felt for her? No one ever looked at her like that, and he did it without effort, without compulsion, simply because he seemed to see something in her worth looking at, and yet Anne lacked understanding, for why should he admire her as one who found in her the whole universe, the light of the burning sun, the twinkling of thousands of stars, and the silver core of the night eye all in one? 

"His eyes?" She breathed, releasing her exhalation into the hallway where just she and Ruby were present. 

  
  


Ruby bit her lip, nodding her head. "Hmm!" She hummed the melody of an angel, soft and sweet, making sure for the umpteenth time no one was in any range to overhear parts of the conversation, sloping her head to her left and her right. Ruby aimed to make clear to Anne what she had been trying to deny all along, the fact that Gilbert had a crush on her. Whether his feelings were more than that she didn't know, but she had a feeling he felt something deeper. "He likes you more than he's willing to admit but please don't tell him I told you that. He didn't tell me but I have eyes. It's so obvious you can't miss it. You can believe me when I tell you he's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you and I've been friends with him for almost eight years."

  
  


"You really are a romantic who sees everything through rose-colored glasses, aren't you?"

  
  


Although Anne had trouble believing what came out of Ruby's mouth, she offered her a warm smile. What else could she do? As long as it wouldn't come from the lips that pronounced her name every time like a prayer, forming the curve that drove her crazy, making her heart skip a beat as soon as it pointed in her direction, illuminating his face that when she was with him always shone a little brighter than in the presence of others, there was nothing else she could do but accept Ruby's assertions with a smile. She would not be able to find faith in what Delphine and Ruby saw, in the way Gilbert's gaze settled on her until it fell from his lips and a revelation of his feelings rolled from his tongue. Everything else only caused confusion, all the mixed signals he sent her and for which her radar had not aligned the antennas, at least they could not receive all he gave her in a form that would give her a certainty about what all his looks expressed and his eyes held? Maybe his eyes held romance but this feeling, she knew only from books and movies and although she could write romance in her books like no other, she did not know it in the real world.

  
  


"Was that what Gilbert said about me?" Ruby asked, removing her back from the book cart she was leaning against, pulling the pencil out from behind her ear to get on with her work.

Anne also got up from the step stool she was sitting on, wiping her hands over Gilbert's green plaid shirt she was clad in, hugging the curves Gilbert admired from afar as she moved the stool a few inches to the right to accept the stack of books Ruby handed her, bobbing her head up and down in response to the blonde clerk.

"Mayhaps he's right but who says it's a bad thing? I know romance when I see it and that between you and him is something I would call romance, it's special and who knows, maybe one day you'll see it too. Until then, you can keep living in your denial." Ruby lifted her chin, looking at Anne with a knowing look her eyes displayed, giving her a lopsided grin. She did her best to hold back her giggles, but to no avail, and so she released them into the aisle, to which Anne could only shake her head, turning to restock the shelves with new merchandise.

The two young women then continued to work in silence, together stocking the bottom and middle shelves with the new supplies. They would later need a ladder to fill the top shelves. Neither were tall enough to reach them without help. Although the elephant in the room had not yet left it, Anne and Ruby worked together in a comfortable atmosphere, Anne placing the books on the shelves, always making sure everything was sorted in alphabetical order, while Ruby handed her the books and wrote down the names, as well as the author of each work that found a new place there, on a piece of paper. Ruby didn't know if it was from work or the conversation about Gilbert but Anne seemed tense, her posture stiff, extremely straight standing on the step stool, even when she bent forward to take the books the blonde handed her from their hands her muscles visibly tensed, giving Ruby the hint that she probably wasn't feeling well, even if the silence that had fallen over them didn't point in that direction, but something was wrong with Anne and Ruby wanted to get to the bottom of it, breaking the silence as she opened her mouth.

"Anne?

"Yes, Ruby?"

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable-"

"No...” Anne cut Ruby off but aimed her focus at work, “...It's alright. I guess I'm just a little confused." All that came out of her mouth spoke the truth, given that she'd never been more confused in her life than in the last three weeks, sensing once more the examining gaze of hazel eyes on her, immersing through the layers of her clothing, from where it settled directly into the epicenter of her being, her heartbeat and breathing increasing with it. She pressed her left hand to her cheek, which burned under her palm, fired by warm hazel eyes, always searching for her.

What the redhead said piqued Ruby’s curiosity anew, glancing over to her with a quizzical expression, her left eyebrow lifting upwards. 

"Is it because of what I told you about Gilbert?" she asked, causing Anne to turn her attentiveness to her. Clasping her hands around the handle of the book cart, she pushed it back a little more to the right, fixating her gaze on Anne, watching her step down from the step stool and position it where Ruby had rolled the book cart. 

Anne shrugged her tense shoulders the moment she shifted her body to the left to face Ruby, bringing a small stack of 3 books to her chest, hugging it to her flesh, her eyebrows lowered and her gaze fixed to the floor on the gray carpet, doing her best to avoid direct eye contact with Ruby. 

"I don't know...Maybe... I just don't know..." 

Her words fell from her lips in pieces, her voice shaky and uncertain. Somehow it all came together and made Anne feel a bundle of nerves, butterflies flying in her stomach and forming knots there, not because of Ruby's question, which was only a part of it all, but because she kept feeling his stares on her skin, shot across the room by hazel eyes, and as much as it adrenalized her, sending a rush of warmth through her body, it also confused her, unbalancing her composure completely.

  
  


Constantly Gilbert's eyes were drawn to her like an insect to burning light, as if he had found something in her that he could not resist, always luring him in, drawing him to the flame he discerned blazing within her. Being meters away from him, Anne did everything not to follow the urge to let herself be pulled in by him, even if every muscle in her spasmed and wanted to turn towards him.

Ruby's left hand found itself on Anne's right shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze that caused Anne to lift her gaze and meet Ruby face to face. “It's okay not to know things sometimes," she said in a soft voice, speaking quietly for the reason that an older man paced up and down the aisle, his arms folded behind his hunched back while his eyes roamed the shelves. "You'll figure it out on your own, you probably just need some more time." She tried to cheer Anne up, giving her a friendly squeeze of the shoulder before her tone and the expression on her face changed from wise and encouraging to serious. 

"Can you promise me one thing, Anne?” she asked, her hand still resting on the redhead’s shoulder while worry crossed her angelic features, her facial muscles becoming tense. “Please don't break his heart. I don't know if he'd be able to handle that after all the heartbreak he's had to go through in the past." Concern filled her blue eyes as she looked over at Gilbert, who sat behind the counter, his elbow propped on the plate of it. His face rested in the palm of his hand where he had propped his chin, looking dreamily where Anne stood, her back to him. Seeing him in that dreamy trance state was enough for Ruby to know that if there was one person who could shatter his heart, it would be Anne.

Anne's right forefinger ran over the creamy knuckles of her left hand, still holding the books clutched below her palms, pressing them tightly against her chest to hold onto them, given that she needed something to thwart her from rushing to him, because that was what she yearned for. Every time he wasn't with her, each of her limbs jerked, a ribbon wrapped around them, invisible but palpable to Anne, who tried to ignore the tug to avoid the thought of dropping everything and running into his arms, even if it was hard to escape the pull of attraction. Instead of having the books in her grip, she desired to throw them on the floor to free her hands for him, wishing to wrap them around his tall frame to take refuge in his strong protective arms, which for some reason unknown to her radiated the feeling of home. Her ocean-blue eyes held an expression of melancholy and longing, knowing what pain overshadowed his life, wishing she could blow it away or better yet kiss it away. She breathed softly into the corridor, taking in the magic of Global and Bookish where the typical bookstore smell lingered, addressing her words to Ruby in a whisper. 

"I know about it, Ruby. He told me a bit about his past...I know enough to know that his life so far has been accompanied by a lot of pain. So believe me, please...I have no intention of breaking his heart, he is far too important to me for that." 

Wrinkles formed on Ruby's forehead, leaning her head a tad backward, looking at Anne incredulously, clearly surprised Gilbert had told her about his past. Considering that he rarely talked about it and she knew that perhaps no one but Fred knew all the details of the most tragic parts of his life, she wondered why it was Anne who managed to get him to open up. Ruby had known him long enough to feel that Anne must have reached him in a way not many people had been able to before.

"If he told you about it, then you must really mean something to him. He doesn't usually talk about it, so I'm all the happier that he seems to have found someone in you he can turn to with that."

Climbing back onto the step stool, Anne just shrugged her shoulders. "I guess there are just a lot of things that connect us. I have never felt so connected to a person before," she said, moving the books tucked under her arm to their intended places.

Even if she didn't directly admit how important he was to her, in her gaze Ruby could read it. The glimmer in Anne's blue orbs carried a certain weight and seriousness and for a split second Ruby had the feeling to see in Anne's eyes not only the spark of romance whenever his name came up, but a blazing fire, love burning for him and she wondered herself if and when Anne would figure out what she felt for him, guessing that there must be something that was holding her back of doing so. 

Sighing, Ruby ejected the air she had inhaled back into the fiction department corridor, releasing the exhalation through her nose. "I've noticed that. From the first time I saw you together I felt the connection between you. I don't know where it comes from but it is something to hold on to," she replied, her gaze lowered as she used her perfectly manicured hands to rummage through one of the boxes that stood on the stacker under the book trolley, getting a new load of books from a big brown carton box with the letters C-D written on them. She watched Anne for a moment, understanding why Gilbert seemed so intrigued by her. A mysterious mist surrounded her, something enigmatic, plus the natural beauty she possessed, being beautiful so effortlessly without having to put a lot of makeup on her face as Winifred always did. No wonder Gilbert fell for her, Ruby thought. Anne had something special, and Ruby had the feeling this was exactly what Gilbert needed to finally find happiness and his place in life, right next to the red-haired beauty Ruby wished to befriend. 

"Do you think we can be friends, Anne?" Ruby dared to ask the question she had been wanting to ask all along, pulling a hair tie from her pants pocket with which she tied her long golden tendrils into a ponytail, taming the strands that kept falling into her face and hindering her to work in this way. "I don't have any female friends, and if Gilbert lo- I mean likes you, you must be a good person. I know I sound like a crazy stranger but usually Gilbert's friends are mine as well. All your secrets will be safe with me. I guarantee you that." With her index finger, she drew the letters A, S, and C in the air to let Anne know that her secret is safe and in good hands with her before she released the heavenly melody of her giggles into her palm.

The corners of Anne's rosy lips twitched, curling into a smile that showed off the deep craters on her milky complexion. "Do I have more than the one secret?" she asked in amusement, her back turned to the bookshelf as she stood on the top step of the step stool.

Ruby's eyes twinkled knowingly, eyeing Anne from head to toe. "I think you do. I can see it in your eyes when we talk about him. I know romance when I see it and in your eyes, I see even more than that."

Knowing what Ruby was alluding to, Anne tried to escape the blonde's scrutinizing gaze, looking up at the ceiling, into the light of the flickering light tubes, her eyes blinded by the brightness blinked in rapid motions. A realization dawned in her. Ruby was capable of recognizing in her what she was unwilling to admit to herself. 

"Ruby, please-" 

Another time that nearly afternoon, Anne forgot she was there to work, sinking down, dragged to the ground by the emotional baggage on her shoulders. As she found a place to rest on the gray carpet, she pulled her knees toward her, enclosing them with her hands, eyes flooded with the fear of being confronted with feelings so new and foreign to her that she couldn't find words to describe them. She knew only one thing. She was stuck between what she tried with all her might to forbid herself, the one feeling that carried her heart for the very first time for someone in a romantic context, and a painful desire to be something for him that went beyond the edge of friendship.

Joining Anne on the floor, Ruby ignored her work for a moment. If she was going to be friends with the redhead, she wanted to do it right, to be there for her from the start, the way friends are there for each other. "It's all right, Anne. I won't tell him anything but let me just tell you this. You won't be disappointed if one day you're ready to tell him about it. I'm sure of it." She had thrown herself on the place next to Anne, raising her hand to the hands Anne had clasped around her knee. She gave Anne a pleading look, expressing without words the request to get the author’s trust, having no knowledge of Anne's trust issues.

"That, just like everything else, will be a secret between you and me." Trust must be earned, and that's Ruby aimed for. Placing the forefinger of the hand that wasn't covering Anne's on the inside of her thumb, she brought the two fingers to her lips, making a zipper gesture as she moved them from one corner of her mouth to the other.

Tilting her head a little to one side, Anne looked at Ruby, hearing from a distance Gilbert's melodious voice, passing like melting wax through her ears, with the warmth in its tonality igniting her insides like the wick of a candle, lighting through the inner walls of her physique the outer layers of her skin, casting a pinkish glow over her face. In an unguarded moment, her eyes wandered to him, meeting his eyes that somehow must have sensed that an opportunity had finally come to collide with hers. Noticing the flutter in her heart, she just nodded at him, giving him a shy smile before focusing her attention entirely back on Ruby.

"Thank you, Ruby but I don't even know what it is myself," she replied, her voice a near whisper, keeping the volume low, seeing that they were not alone in the hallway.

Ruby's hand squeezed Anne's right lightly, her touch at least as warm as the smile the corners of her mouth formed as they curved upward, revealing small dimples that graced her freckled cheeks. "Then take the time to find out. No one is saying you have to marry him right away but you should give him and yourself a chance to figure out what this thing you have with each other is because it's certainly not a friendship. But if that's really what you want for now, then keep him as your friend, with time you will get certainty about what he is for you and the best romances come from deep friendship. Get to know each other and then decide for yourself what it is that you want."

The blonde's voice sounded at least as softly through the Global and Bookish rooms as the redheaded author's had before. Anne found it strange that even though Ruby was a stranger to her, she felt she had found a person in her to pour her heart out to when she felt ready. There was something trustworthy about Ruby, a sweet and kind nature, perhaps with a tiny naivety when it came to the subject of romance but Anne thought Ruby was right. How could it be bad to look for love and romance in a world where cruelty was so often found? Romance was not something Anne abhorred, rather the opposite was true. In her books, she loved to put the emotional turmoil of her characters on a sheet of paper, to make them go through dramatic experiences until they got each other in the end. But fiction had little to do with reality, and the more time she spent with Gilbert, the more aware she became of that.

  
  


Gratefully, Anne's left hand found Ruby's, covering it, her gaze lowered to it, having a feeling what she couldn't say out loud would be safe with Ruby. She had the impression of having found in her something she had so far found only in Diana, Cole, and her former teacher Ms. Stacey, a Kindred Spirit in whom she could well see the potential for a close friendship. Although she knew Gilbert was also one, it was something different, for the reason that with Gilbert everything was different than with any other person, a different familiarity and understanding, intimacy that arose between the connection she had with him.

"Thank you, Ruby! That was pretty helpful advice although I didn't ask for any." The sound of her giggling echoed through the aisles of the bookstore, and this time there was hilarity in it. "But all kidding aside, I think I'd be really happy if we could be friends."

From a heaviness the conversation turned more into something light, into exactly what Anne needed right now to not think about her feelings for the young man who never let her go since he found her umbrella and swept into her life like a fresh breeze, awakening so many new feelings in her that added up day by day to something she didn't know the outcome of yet.

"If we're friends now, though, you'll have to call me Rubs. All my friends call me that. The nickname was given to me by my boyfriend Moody when we first started dating five years ago and ever since then Gilbert, him, and Fred just call me that." Ruby's eyes lit up as she spoke of Moody, putting a smile on Anne's lips, glad that Ruby, the romantic, apparently had what she saw in everything in her life, love and romance, just that one thing Anne desired to find herself one day.

With a smile dancing around her lips, illuminating her milky skin, Anne lifted her head, tilting it sideways to look at Ruby, who was gazing dreamily into nowhere, probably thinking of Moody, Anne assumed.

"I'll keep that in mind, Rubs... What name does the nickname Moody stand for if you don't mind me asking? It is an unusual nickname, after all."

"First name!... Moody is his first name. Don't ask me what his parents were thinking when they gave him that name."

They both fell into a fit of laughter over Moody's name and the fact that it wasn't a nickname, but the one his parents gave him at birth. Anne had only one question in mind...Who the hell names their kid Moody? Eventually, the mirthful sound of her laughter faded, and she regained the ability to say something, addressing Ruby in a cheerful tone, "Moody and Ruby sounds cute, though."

"So does Anne and Gilbert." Ruby pressed her mouth to her hand and giggled the moment a familiar voice sounded through the aisle the two gathered.

"Yeah, perhaps," Anne sighed in a whisper.

"Did someone mention my name?"

Startled by him, Anne sprang, her two feet shooting up from the ground, not expecting him there, picking three books from the book cart she brought to her chest. With her mind on the young man whose name Ruby had just spoken and who emerged out of the blue from behind the bookcase, Anne didn't notice how he had changed places with Bash, whom she now saw behind the counter, entertaining his daughter, who waved at Anne, smiling from ear to ear. The redhead waved back at the girl, biting her lower lip the moment she inwardly wondered how much Gilbert might have heard of her conversation with Ruby. He wore a stupid grin on his face, making it hard for her to read him even though he's so often an open book to her, but not at that moment and it maddened her not to know if he knew more than she was able to divulge.

"And, ladies, are you having fun working together so far?" he asked, seeking Anne's closeness as he walked to her. Stopping in front of her, he first looked down at the ground before his gaze drifted over her entire body, from her feet higher and higher up until his eyes came to a halt on her face where he saw a beautiful pink tint.

Trying not to let her nervous state show and giving away some of the chaos of her feelings, Anne smiled, not looking at him but at Ruby, who pressed her lips together to keep herself from laughing out loud. 

"Yes! Ruby was just about to tell me about your secret crush, weren't you, Rubs?" Anne shot a wink at Ruby, giving her the hint to play along. She wanted to tease Gilbert and draw him out of his reserve a bit, which she seemed to succeed in doing when his hazel eyes went wide, displaying a picture for the books, much to Anne's amusement. His face held a hilarious expression as he swung his head to the left and right in confusion. 

"My what?"

  
  


Ruby looked with a conspiratorial smile at Anne, who still leaned against the bookcase with three books pressed against her chest, looking down at her feet with her right drawing circles on the floor. 

"You know, Gilbert!" Ruby directed his words to him, seeing how his eyes were glued to Anne, stuck to her like a bee to the honeycomb. "The young woman you've been gushing about to me for weeks. What was her name again? Hannah? No, it was shorter. Fran, maybe? I'm so bad with names. But I think it was a name that rhymes with Fran."

Of course Ruby referred to Anne, the redhead knew it, but she played along with the game. Gilbert's confusion brought out a smile of her, forming dimples as cute as his flustered state. But that was nothing new considering she found everything he did or said cute. "Tell me about her, Rubs."

  
  
  


A devilish grin appeared on Ruby's angelic face, which she flashed towards Anne. "Oh, I think you'll like her," she said, getting a dismissive wave of her hand in response.

Hard spines of books dug into Gilbert's back, positioned next to Anne, he leaned against the tall bookshelf, his tingling and sweat-bathed hands buried in the pockets of his black jeans, so as not to get the idea of pulling her to him and taking her breath away with the impact of his lips. Only too gladly he would have done it at that moment, his eyes roaming over her rosy cushions, wanting to fall into her lips to explore them with the brush strokes of his, a hitherto still forbidden place for him to which he hoped one day to gain access. It certainly would not only have taken away Anne's ability to speak, it would have silenced Ruby as well. He would have killed two birds with one stone if cowardice hadn't gotten the better of him.

"I really don't know what or who you two are talking about. All I know is that you're a match made in hell." He accompanied his words with a breathy chuckle, coming deep from his throat. His lips then formed into a smile, a warm wave washing over his heart at the sight of Anne and Ruby, after all, he loved the latter like a sister. He could have done without the teasing of the two, but if it would lead to the two women becoming friends in this way, then he could live with it, he had enough experience of being teased after all.

  
  


"Oh, come on, Gilbert! We know you love us. One probably a little more than the other."

  
  


In a flash, hazel eyes and those holding an ocean shot a glare at Ruby to silence her, with their piercing gazes staring holes in her face framed by blonde ringlets. The murmur of chatting customers floated through the aisles of Global and Bookish, the air thick with tension, a mix of chemistry and a crackle too intense to find words for, shrouding the space as always whenever Anne and Gilbert danced around each other. Beads of sweat slid from Gilbert's forehead down his cheeks, dripping from his splendid chin onto his shirt, whose texture soaked them up. He sent a silent prayer skyward, tearing his eyes away from Ruby, looking up at the ceiling as he pleaded for Ruby to keep her mouth shut. Why did she have to make innuendos that pointed in the direction of his feelings for Anne? Couldn't she just be quiet? While Gilbert searched in his mind for the answer to the question of what he had done to deserve all this, hearing the blood rushing through his head, Anne tried to ignore Ruby's words, straightening the green plaid shirt he lent her with long, nervous strokes which hugged her body more as a dress that reached almost to her knees. Fright spread in her, afraid to plunge into a quagmire of confusion and emotion from which she, at least, would not soon emerge. Still, a question made her head pound, unable to get rid of it. 

Who did Ruby mean by what she said?

  
  


In the stiff air of the bookstore hovered an invisible cloud electrified with an intenseness, growing in extremity as Anne wheeled to her left and faced Gilbert. She sucked in a couple of breaths, her nose tickled by the smell of magic and adventure, paired with the perfumed pages of works made of eggshell-colored sheets, glue, and black ink. Nostalgia made her nostrils tingle, digging up the memory of the hours she found refuge in her favorite book, escaping for a few moments from the barbarity she had to endure during her early childhood. Back then she dared to leap into the world of Jane Eyre, finding parallels to her life that drew her into the story as never one before and awakened the love of writing in her, a favor that, along with reading, became her magic cape, draping it around her shoulder whenever she sought an escape from the torments inflicted on her, all the spiteful, heartbreaking words that have lingered like ghosts in her head ever since, or the beatings and lashes, branding her skin with scars and her soul with deep wounds, gaping open to this day, bleeding silent tears instead of red drops of blood.

But along with the smell of book pages, she found his scent in the air, smelling more like home than the mossy woods of Avonlea, the breeze of the ocean's expanse, and Marilla's famous plum puffs. A perfume tart and fresh, yet sweet and floral covered his skin and as it passed through her nose, the fragrance settled over her like her favorite blanket, knitted by Marilla, a feeling of home, emitted less by his scent than by himself. With every second at her side, her homesickness for him grew and she slowly began to understand why. 

Her exhalation hit him, standing close in front of him, the tips of her feet aligned with his, bringing a smile out of him as the gentle breath sank into his pores. Every cell that defined his being tingled, clothing his arm with goosebumps that grew higher and higher until they crawled down his spine. Somewhat surprised by her nearness, he closed his eyes briefly, drawing in a breath before opening them and the inevitable happened. Her eyes, bent down to the floor, began to trail over his body, a map of beauty, sights that belonged on display in a museum. Her glance roamed over strong muscles, just as attractive as everything that lay under there, the features that held his heart. With his personality he blessed eyes and minds, being more than just pretty to look at.

Lifting her chin, Anne's gaze fell into his. His eyes reflected the gleaming rays of the heavenly eye falling into the bookstore where everything else around them both disappeared, a soft shade of golden glitter dancing around his pupils like confetti in the air of a New Year's Eve charged with the anticipation of crackling fireworks, hope for the fulfillment of heart's desires. The brown particles of his eyes flamed, a warm fire in his windows, so inviting Anne could do nothing but jump in, falling deeper into what she feared, eyes as warm as any pair of eyes hers had ever looked into, a heart she didn't know what the blue moon in her eyes was doing to him, and his being, too good to be true. Was she dreaming, persisting in an illusion, a fantasy that would burst like a bubble when she opened her eyes, collapsing like a house of cards and bringing Queen Anne back down to the bottom of reality? Her right hand went to her left arm, under which the books were hidden, still in her grip, lying close to her heart, hammering loudly against their covers. Her thumb and forefinger pinched her flesh, making sure the last three weeks weren't a dream and that she met a man in the crowds of Toronto who outshone all others, a spark of hope to have found someone who could see behind her facade, all the walls he stood on, about to risk the fall into her heart.

Anne cleared her throat, her voice croaky as her lips began to move. "Um, we're friends now, Gil, aren't we? Won't you tell me who your secret crush is? I promise you my lips will stay sealed." With the fingers of her hand, she made a zipper gesture until she dropped her arm, swinging at her side while waiting for a response, an amused smile circulating around her lips.

Her hand remained at her side for only a few minutes, caught in the grasp of Gilbert who in the blink of an eye seized the opportunity and brought her hand to him. Anne's eyes widened with his action, her eyebrows shooting to her hairline. He guided her hand to his heart, disengaging from the bookcase he was leaning against, taking a step, then another forward as he stepped into her space, guided by the compass that lay in her hand, ordering him to follow the direction what he did because he felt called to do so. 

For the very first time, someone put his heart in Anne's hand and she wanted to keep it, feeling the rightness of holding it, made to be carried by her.

"Gil!" she breathed, all other words stuck in her throat, watched by Ruby, whose back was leaning against the book cart, following the spectacle that was unfolding before her eyes as a silent observer with a knowing smile crossing her face. Thundering under her palm like the November rain against her umbrella under which she met Gilbert, Anne witnessed what it felt like to hold one's heart in one's hand. Loud yet so soothing, it rose and fell under her five fingers, a feeling she wanted to lay her ear on, resting her head on his chest to fall asleep to the rhythm and hear it first thing in the morning. 

"Yes, Anne-girl?" Gilbert asked, his voice thick with the emotions that initiated the quake in his chest where the chambers opened to bring to light what she awakened. His left hand buried her right as if he insisted on making clear to her what she was doing to his heart, setting the rhythm, holding a baton in her hands in the capacity of conductor of his heart. 

  
  


"I...I mean who...Your crush, Gil?" That was all she could say, putting the words together like a child in the process of learning to speak. How did a game of simple teasing turn into this?

He leaned forward and as much as Anne wanted to take a few steps backward she couldn't, anchored by his heart, beating so fast that hers adjusted to the tempo. His dimpled cheek almost touched hers as his breath made her right ear twitch,

"What if I told you you're the one? How would you react if I told you that you're my crush, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert?" His words flowed in a whisper through her ear canal, sinking gently into her heart in a floating breath. His lips wore a mischievous expression while something sparkled in his eyes so weighted with seriousness that his eyes sank like an overloaded ship, unable to do anything about the ballast his heart placed in them. 

"Blythe!"

  
  


"Not now, Bash." He shot his reply back to Bash, clearly annoyed without once looking in the elder’s direction, perhaps a little frustrated because he had trouble maintaining his composure, his eyes on his hand resting on Anne's, running his thumb over the creamy layer of her knuckles. Her fingers then slid away under his palm as she pulled her hand back, waving it in the air almost as if she'd burned herself on his heart, a deep G branded into the lines to always remind her that for a few minutes she had his very essence in her grip.

"I...Me! Ugh…,” Anne stuttered, huffing a breath, her head fogged with thoughts, a misty haze filling her mind, the last remnants of torches of hope, though she wasn't sure what she was hoping for. “You're just saying that to tease me."

But what if it was true? What if she set the rhythm of his heart and he viewed her as more than a friend. Could it be possible? Was there an existent chance his heart beat for her and if so, how would hers respond? Anne's heart thumped against her rib cage, pressing hard enough on her chest to rob her breath, the blood driving through her veins speedier than cars across a German Autobahn. She brushed her hand over her black pants, trying to get rid of the burning and the urge to bring her hand to his chest again. The tips of her fingers itched with desire, wanting to feel the swelling under his shirt once more, the loud boom, boom, boom, the rise and fall of his left chest, his heart with a volume so large she wondered for whom it carried all it contained.

Looking for a way to get rid of some of what had built up inside him, Gilbert released a heavy sigh into the hallway accompanied by a nervous shrug of his shoulders.

"Maybe it's nothing but teasing, but maybe not. I guess we'll never know. You must know that I learned from the master." His gaze traveled over to Bash, seeing him shake his head in amusement. His attention then quickly went back to where it always pulled him when she was with him. "You were the one who was teasing me. So, you should know that it always takes two to tango, Anne-girl." 

Mirth reached his eyes though something heavy still danced around his pupils, an expression Anne didn't often see in his eyes. A twitch broke the corners of his mouth as a smile touched his lips. Not thinking about what he was doing, he took a step forward, Anne still standing in front of him, her hands crossed over her chest, holding three books close to her heart. It happened in the blink of an eye that the small piles dropped to the floor the moment Gilbert reached for Anne's hand a second time, surprising her enough to cause her to lose her grip over the books, falling to the floor with a loud noise. He spun her around so that she was doing a pirouette, swirling like a ballerina, tendrils of fire prancing in the air filled with so much more than just the typical bookstore perfume. 

"Gil what are you doing?" The sweet sound of her giggle escaped her lips, spinning on her own axis before coming to a halt at a point other than where she stood before.

"Dancing!" he answered her simply. As Anne spun in the motion he brought her to his side, staying close beside him. "Like I said, it takes two to tango."

She would have loved to feel his heartbeat through her shirt, pressed tightly against her physique, dancing a passionate tango with him close to her. The urge to share her warmth with him, her every heartbeat, breaths mingling with his, her most secret dreams, and dark fears she shared with no one else stirred within her. For most of the time, she danced alone on the dance floor of her life, afraid to fall if the right hand asked for hers, but his hands had strength, powerful enough to catch her, and she wanted to be caught by him, to land in his heart, because for the first time she felt a sense of safety with a man who felt like her only direction, aligning his heart with hers, entwined with the thread that drew her to him. She looked down to her side, her hand intertwined with his. The smile on her lips was glued to her face, as was the one he flashed at her. They were about to lose themselves in each other's eyes again, but then Bash's accent echoed through the bookstore.

"Blythe you moke! You can moon over Queen Anne later. We have customers waiting to be served by you."

Gilbert rolled his eyes, preferring to spend his time with her rather than helping any customers find new reading material. With her he had with him an adventure so much greater than any that could have been found in the masses of books, one as inscrutable as any mystery before, and he wanted to unfold every page of her until he came to the one in which he wanted to write his name. For now, he could only unfold her hand, and that he did, gently clutching the wrist of her right hand with the fingers of his left, the familiar warmth of his thumb sinking into her pulse point, rushing through her veins, fueling her heart and coloring her cheeks a pretty red. Anne's chest rose and fell in rapid movements, her breathing labored. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him, seeing and noticing the tickling as he separated each of her fingers in turn from her palm, starting with her pinky, unfolding her hand until he held it in his like an unfolded sheet of paper on which he intended to leave his stamp.

His eyes held her hostage, and Anne made no sign of wanting to be rescued from honeyed golden flickers and green sparkles, coupled with the coloration of brown pine wood set on fire, flaring in eyes so warm and gentle they drew her in like a hearth fire where she wanted to warm herself until a puddle forms under her feet, all the ice that piled up in front of her heart and he thawed with the warmth of his self. 

"I'll see you later, Anne-girl," he said, bringing her hand to his lips, placing a kiss as soft and light as a feather on the love lines beneath her pinky, unable to pull his gaze away from her.

His lips lingered on her salty seawater-tasting skin, dipping into the lines of her palm like one thirsting for refreshment after three months of drought, with the question in his mind of what her lips must taste.

The sound of pages being turned rang through the area, the light scratching of fingernails as some customers scraped them across the eggshell-colored sheets in the process of flipping through the pages of the works in their hands. While the book buyers strayed through the aisles of the store, making up their minds about whether the books they had in their grasp would please them or arouse the interest of the person for whom they were intended, Ruby's eyes sparkled with interest of another kind and knowledge the moment she consumed the air of the bookstore, perceiving not only the scent of bound pages, but also the perfume smelling of romance, hormones and feelings, flying between Gilbert and Anne.

Needing some time to savor the moment, the feel of her skin and the taste of it, he then let go of Anne's hand. Only reluctantly did his lips part from her palm, releasing an inaudible sigh as he turned, his posture relaxed. His hands found room in his trouser pockets as he marched with his lifted head in the direction of a female customer, apparently waiting to be advised by him. From his mouth tumbled a cheerful melody, humming like a lovesick fool, his lips parted in a bright grin, competing with the golden streaks of the winter sun escaping once in a while through the gray clouds that hung in the sky.

Sighing, Anne watched Gilbert distance himself from the fiction section, and thus from her and Ruby, her ocean blue eyes two pools of liquid longing for him, his touch, the sound of his voice, and that damn dimpled smile.

"Yeah, later," she said though he was long out of earshot, her voice breathy, almost a whisper.

They still stood on end, the hairs on her arms and neck, open pores, covering her epidermis with a skin erection. With what he had done, he made her feel something she couldn't understand because no one and nothing had ever made her feel like he did, giving her goosebumps every damn time he said her name like a prayer or the way he dived into her eyes, weaving a complex web of feelings that made it so hard for her to untangle it.

Hearing footsteps approaching behind her, Anne raised her left hand in the air, anticipating who stood behind her. "Don't say anything, Ruby!" She hoped Ruby would stay quiet and hold back commenting on everything. Ruby had something else on her mind, though. Jumping up and down in glee she reached for Anne's upper arm, clutching it with her hands. 

"Romance, Anne. That's what I call romance." She wore a soft smile, breaking through her lips with an effortlessness as if she were Armor herself, aiming an arrow at both of them to bring together what she knew belonged together.

Not looking at Ruby the redhead had to ask a question. "When did you know that what you felt for Moody was love?"

As surprised as the question Anne uttered was to Ruby, arching a questioning eyebrow toward Anne, her utterance seemed unexpected to Anne herself, her right hand slapping over her mouth, her eyes shooting wide open.

Looking left and right to make sure they were alone in the aisle, Ruby led Anne to the step stool, asking Anne to sit down, which she did without protest. "Um." Ruby began to pace up and down the aisle, rubbing her temple as she searched for the right answers. "I think I knew when I realized he was all I could think about. He became my first thought when I went to sleep and the first one when my eyes opened the other morning. Even in my dreams, I saw him and that hasn't changed to this day."

Anne swallowed, knowing that since the moment she met him he had crossed her mind once and since then she could think of nothing but him. Every night for the past three weeks, he's been sneaking into her sleep, visiting her in her slumber. She often dreamed of him, some dreams innocent and gentle while others were hot and passionate, a pillow talk between white sheets, limbs knotted and bodies pressed together, his whisper in her ear, his smell in her nose, his breath on her skin and his body on top of hers. Sometimes they were so real that she woke up the other morning drenched in sweat.

"Is that all?"

She longed to know what made the difference between infatuation and love. Anne had no one to talk to about such things. Cole and Diana were single like her and as sure as she was they would have satisfactory answers for her it made more sense in her eyes to ask Ruby, given that she had been in what looked like a very happy relationship for years. Anne herself had never been in love. How was she supposed to know what it felt like to be in love if she had never experienced firsthand the feeling everyone was looking for? All she knew was that he made her homesick, not for a place. Her heart was homesick for him and his arms, the security he radiated, but could she be homesick for someone she just found?

"Of course, there's more to it than that. Probably everyone defines love in a different way. Sometimes it takes a 'click' moment, something that brings all the feelings out of the darkness into the light. It works differently for everyone. With Moody, I can just be myself but at the same time loving him has made me vulnerable like never before. As much security as he gives me, I'm afraid of losing him one day, of not waking up next to him and not being the first to look into his beautiful brown eyes. But being loved and being allowed to love him outweighs the fear. Hypothetically speaking, if you want to know if you love someone, ask yourself a question. Maybe it can give you the answer."

"And which would that be?" Anne asked.

Ruby squatted down, positioning her hands on Anne's thighs. She watched Anne's head slump down, her gaze fixed on her hands clasped in her lap, deep in thought. She could only imagine who she was thinking of, herself noticing the intense look of hazel eyes in the air, like arrows constantly aimed by him at Anne

"Would your world be the same without the person in it or better can you imagine your life without that person? When you love someone in any form you don't want to be without that person. Love grows with time but if you can answer this question with a no then it is an indicator of love."

  
  


Her upper and lower eyelids met as Anne imagined what her life would hold if Gilbert had no place in it. It would be dark, a place without sunshine, a pitch-black sky would hide all the stars, trapping them behind a tent of darkness, the moon would lose its luster. Anne would lose what reached the center of her being in such a quiet way that she didn't even notice what her heart carried, all the complex, adrenalizing, yet so quiet feelings she knew she harbored for him. She became aware of it when her eyes opened and her gaze drifted to Gilbert, seeing him engaged in conversation with a female customer who smiled coquettishly at him, the fingers of her left hand lacquered in a dark red resting on his arm as she batted her eyelashes. Gilbert appeared to be rather annoyed by the customer's behavior, shifting his body left and right as if wishing he could get away from her as quickly as possible. Chestnut brown hair framed her pretty face, appearing a little plastic like that of a doll, wearing a little too much makeup than she might have needed. He could have so many women if he didn't close his eyes to how some admired him from afar. Anne's veins were boiling, watching the young woman flirt with Gilbert made her body a tea kettle, feelings bubbling inside her about to overflow. She was one of those women who admired him, from a distance as well as up close. But she did not do it only because of what her eye saw. Anne saw beyond it, and if she wanted him, she saw his strengths and weaknesses, what floated on the surface and dove beneath, his imperfections that were perfections to her, every one of his flaws. No one is perfect and Gilbert certainly wasn't but the flips her heart did, somersaulting like a roller coaster told her he could be perfect for her. As he got rid of the customer, turned, and sought first the depths of ocean blue eyes, Anne knew that in a world without him, there would be no light in her universe and no adrenaline in her veins. A life without Gilbert Blythe would suck out all the colors she could see thanks to him and paint a picture in gray and black, one like she knew from the time before him. Gilbert turned out to be her color. He repainted her world, he transformed a picture full of gray veils into one painted in rainbow colors, giving her life light and colorations. He was her hope to have found the mirror of her soul in his eyes and that of her heart in him.

In an instant panic crossed her body, her eyes frozen open, knees and hands trembling, feeling the tug on the veil in front of her inner consciousness, lifted by the quake in her entire body. How could it happen? How could she fall for him? He had just become her friend. Without a parachute or safety net, she fell for him, nudged by everything he had to offer, falling into his depths. The touch of his hands gave her security, telling her that he would catch her wherever she fell. What if the place she wanted to fall into was his heart. Would it cushion the fall?

Shit, shit, shit

"Rubs?"

"Hmm?"

Anne looked at Ruby, her expression serious, her lips shaped into a thin line from which fell a whisper almost inaudible to Ruby.

"It's a no, Rubs. My answer to the question. I...I...I think I'm about to fall in love!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now to the next chapter: Bash appears at the beginning of the next one. His scenes are all written but his sequence didn't fit into this one anymore. I'm sorry but I don't think you want to read 30k words of my writing. Anne will fall for Gilbert, literally. Whether he catches her remains to be seen.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this. I don't have an exact schedule when to update but I think you can expect a weekly update! Thanks for reading!


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